My Darling (Spinoff of Unravel)
by DaHgreatest
Summary: Pain, fear, and suffering is something Clementine knows well. Traumatized at a young age, trust has become a struggle. But when she wakes up at a boarding school things take a quick change. She promised herself not to let anyone get too close, she was failing miserably at keeping that promise. Violetine and Clouis Warning: Swears, Violence, Future Sex, Past Trauma. Abuse, etc
1. Chapter 1

**_Hello everyone, I'm very excited to be writing this fic. And I hope you all enjoy it. This is both a Violetine and Clouis fic. And some brief Marlontine_**

 ** _I'll do my best to update every week or so._**

 _ **Big** **thanks to H8trzgonnah8te and OmnitrixWielder1124 for allowing me to use their OCs Aleena and Crystal. And also, thank you so much H8trzgonnah8te for helping me sort out this plot.**_

 ** _Warning: Swearing, Violence, Future Sex, Past Trauma. Sexual abuse mentions. Self-harm._**

* * *

 _Clementine ran hard and fast across the field, ignoring the pain in her legs. With Crystal on her back and Aleena in her arms, the fourteen-year-old pushed forward. "Come on, AJ! Keep up!"_

 _The panic in her voice was clear as day. Her little heart pounded in her chest as she could hear whimpers from the children._

 _Gunfire and the screams echoed around them. People scattered around the ranch in fear._

 _She did her best not to look at the bloody bodies on the ground._

 _She was caught in the heart of madness and the girl was terrified. Yet it felt so familiar. Like when she and her former group members had made their escape from that evil hardware store._

 _She quickly picked AJ up as well. "Crystal, baby, hold on tight." She didn't want the child falling off her back._

 _Frantically, Clementine registered screams as she raced through the field. She spotted a nearby vehicle and rushed towards it. Quickly opening the door, she placed the three small children inside, buckling them before slamming the door shut._

 _The girl rushed to the driver's seat and climbed inside._

 _She had only driven a few times around the ranch, she still needed a lot more practice, but this was their best chance out of here._

 _The girl quickly turned the car on, just as a bullet ripped through the passenger window, hitting the teen's shoulder. Clementine yelled in pain. Without wasting another minute, she shifted the car into drive and stomped on the gas. The vehicle sped forward, crashing through the fence. Clementine didn't stop. She needed to get as far away from that place as possible._

 _The car sped off quickly out of sight, the gunshots and screams becoming a noise in the distance_.

* * *

Sixteen-year old Clementine shot upright with a gasp.

"Mommy?" Crystal's little voice called. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, baby... Go back to sleep." Clementine's voice is shaky as she talked.

"Mommy, why are you crying?" Crystal asked.

"I... I'm not crying, Crystal. Go to sleep." Clementine said.

Crystal frowned. "...Cold..."

"Put the blanket on." Clementine replied.

"Leena has the blankie..." Crystal muttered.

"Well, you two can share it." Clementine said.

Crystal shook her head. "She doesn't share, mommy..."

"She's asleep, Crystal. Use some of the blanket." Clementine said.

"Okay..." Crystal said. "Mommy...Where are we gonna go?"

"I don't know, Crystal." Clementine said. "Right now, to sleep."

"Where do we go when we sleep?" Crystal asked.

"To dreamland…" Clementine said.

"Oh..." Crystal said. She paused before asking her next question. "Can you hold me?"

"Hold you?" Clementine asked a bit surprised. Aleena was usually the one who wanted to be held. "Sure, baby... For a little while."

Crystal slowly crawled to the front of the car and sat on Clementine's lap.

Clementine wrapped her arms around her and started humming to the four-year old, rubbing her curly brown hair.

"I love you, mommy." Crystal said.

Clementine gave a small smile. "I love you too. Now...go night-night."

"Okay." Crystal said, closing her eyes.

* * *

She was driving again. The girl sighed as she heard the click of a gun. She adjusted the mirror to see the children. "What are you doing, goofball?"

"Pretending we have bullets." AJ answered.

"Well don't. It's getting on my nerves." Clementine said.

"Where's my gun...?" Aleena suddenly piped up.

Clementine groaned. "Leena, I told you already..."

"I want a gun!" Aleena said.

"Leena, the last time mommy let you hold the gun, you wouldn't listen to me. Just hold onto your knife." Clementine said.

Aleena pouted. "Okay."

"I don't like goofball. I'm too big for it." AJ told Clementine.

"Someone's all grown up." Clementine sighed.

"Yep..." AJ smiled. "Let me drive."

Clementine rolled her eyes. "I'm not letting you drive."

"When's Crystal gonna wake up?" Aleena asked.

"Soon, probably. She was up late last night." Clementine said.

"But the sun is awake, mommy." Aleena said.

"Yes, it is." Clementine nodded.

"And the moon's gone night-night." Aleena continued.

"I know..."

As if cued, Crystal started to stir.

"You're awake!" Aleena beamed.

"I'm sleepy..." Crystal said.

"Why? The sun's awake." Aleena told her sister.

"I told you she was up late." Clementine said.

"Talking with mommy..." Crystal said before smiling. "We cuddled too."

Aleena gasped at that. "No fair. I wanna cuddle with mommy."

"Baby, mommy, cuddles with all of you." Clementine said.

"Can you cuddle me now?" Aleena asked.

"Maybe later." Clementine said.

"Promise?" Aleena asked.

"I promise, Aleena." Clementine noticed AJ clench his stomach. "What's wrong, AJ?"

"Hungry..." The five-year old replied.

Clementine glanced to the seat beside her and grabbed a book. "Here, practice your reading."

"I don't wanna." AJ said.

"It'll take your mind off your stomach." Clementine said.

AJ opened the book and began trying to sound out some of the words. Clementine quickly realized he was reading a recipe.

"On second thought, that will only make you hungrier. " The teen reached her hand out to take the book. AJ passed it to her. Clementine picked up a bag of chip. "You guys share this. I mean it."

"What about you?" AJ asked.

Clementine shrugged. "We'll find something else soon."

"I believe you." AJ said.

Clementine continued driving without a word. A while passed before she eventually came to a station.

Making sure the children were armed, they got out the vehicle.

"Mommy, pick me up!" Aleena pleaded.

Clementine raised a brow. "No. You can walk."

"I want you to pick me up." Aleena's voice turning was into a whine.

"Aleena, you can walk... You're a big girl, aren't you?" Clementine said.

The child quickly nodded. "Yes. I'm big, I'm four."

"I know." Clementine said. "So mommy doesn't have to carry you. You can hold mommy's hand."

"Okay…" Aleena agreed.

"How old are you, mommy?" Crystal asked.

"Older than all of you." Clementine replied.

"You're a grown up?" Crystal asked her.

"Basically." Clementine said.

"If you're grown up that means... You're not gonna grow up anymore." AJ said.

Clementine shrugged in response.

"Oh…" Crystal said.

"But don't you want to grow and grow to a giant?" Aleena asked.

"I think I'm good how I am now." Clementine took Aleena's hand. "Come on, let's find some food."

* * *

After searching the area and taking out a few walkers, they managed to get into the station. But they were faced with a dilemma. The door they needed to get through was lock and a couple of walkers were tied to a chair, Clementine was sure one of them had the key.

"The key or the window. Those are our options." Clementine said.

AJ peeked through and frowned. "It's dark in there. We should kill the monsters. They're not people."

"Well they used to be people. And as people, they asked to be left alone." Clementine said.

"So what's best?" AJ asked.

"I can do it..." Crystal spoke up.

"Crystal?" Clementine looked to the child.

"I can go in the window." Crystal said.

"...Are you sure?" Clementine asked.

The little girl gave a nod. "Mm-hm. I won't be scared."

Clementine sighed. "I don't know if you should..."

"Why?" Crystal asked, wearing a confused expression.

"Because... I won't know what happens on the other side of the door..." Clementine said. "It's dangerous…"

"I'll be fast, mommy." Crystal said.

Clementine frowned then nodded. "Alright... Just open the door for mommy."

"Okay." Crystal said.

Clementine helped the small girl up and she crawled through the window.

A while passed before the door opened.

"Look what I found!" Crystal exclaimed.

"Toys?!" Aleena asked.

Crystal shook her head. "Come see."

They entered the room.

Clementine hummed. "They had a good thing going here."

"Can we stay here?" AJ asked.

"We'll see." Clementine said causing the boy to frown.

"No one's here. No one's ever anywhere. There's always just monsters." AJ huffed.

"Well, I'm here. Whatever we go, we go together." Clementine said.

"Okay... That's good." AJ replied.

Clementine nodded.

The continued to look around. AJ eventually found some bullets. "Just a few..."

Clementine knelt to his level. "Remember what we said? You know this."

"Always aim for the head." AJ said.

"That's right." Clementine said.

"I wish we had one of these!" Aleena suddenly said. Clementine looked over to see the little girl standing by a mattress.

Clementine shrugged. "Not the worse place to sleep."

"Let's lay here, mommy." Aleena said.

"Nah... It's covered in germs. And it's probably smelly." Clementine replied.

"Mommy, there's something under there..." Crystal pointed.

Clementine raised a brow and walked over. She picked up Aleena from the mattress, and placed the child on her feet.

She then started to move the mattress.

"Floor door?" AJ noted.

"Hmm, yeah. They must've wanted to hide something." Clementine opened it revealing a bunched of food.

AJ came over to look inside. "That's a lot of stuff."

"It is. We could eat for weeks. With this much." Clementine smiled.

A second later, Clementine quickly noticed something roll, her eyes widened as she realized it was a grenade. "It's rigged."

Clementine quickly slammed the door shut and pushed the children back. After a while she hugged them before standing. "We gotta go. They noise is gonna draw walkers!"

They rushed outside, walkers were already approaching.

"Stick to the side and be my eyes, while I clear a path." Clementine said.

One by one Clementine took out the walkers. Soon enough the path was clear, and they rushed to the car. They quickly got inside, and Clementine tried to start the vehicle, but the walkers continued attacking, breaking through windows and grabbing at the children.

Clementine couldn't think straight, too much was happening. When she finally managed to get the car going after retrieving the keys from a walker which she had stabbed, she suddenly found herself grabbed. The teen panicked and tried to break free and focus on the road. The car quickly lost control.

Clementine found herself drifting in and out of consciousness. She spotted a figure by the car, then everything went dark.

* * *

When the young girl woke up she was surprised to find herself tied to bed. Something wasn't right. Panic quickly set in as memories flooded back to her. An accident, she was in a car accident.

But she was alone. The girl quickly looked around. Where were the kids?

She tried to sit up, feeling her head throbbing but found herself restrained. Her heart started pounding, but she sighed in relief as she noticed it was just tape, she easily pulled it off.

Clementine got up, checking that her clothes were still intact, they were. She noticed her hat was missing and spotted some bloody cotton balls on the dresser. She felt her head and touched a blood-soaked bandage.

Where the hell was she?

Clementine knew she needed to find her kids… AJ and the twins. She was worried about them.

The girl headed over to the door and tried to open it. However, it was locked.

"Shit." The girl swore. She needed to find something to pick the lock.

She checked throughout the room, searching the drawers first. She found a photo album in one. Curious she took a look through it, seeing some pictures of some children. After a while, she put the album back and went to check the closet. There wasn't much inside however she noticed a box on the shelf.

The young girl stood on her toes to reach it but had no luck. She needed something to boost her up.

She looked around the room and noticed a chair. The girl walked over to the chair, grabbing it. She pulled it back over to the closet. She stepped onto it and grabbed the box from the shelf. After stepping off the chair, she placed the box on the table and opened it finding a palette knife.

She decided to use the knife to pick the door. Clementine managed to get the door open and stepped out the room.

Once out of the room she started making her way down the halls, she checked the doors, but most of the rooms were locked. The walls were covered in graffiti almost as if kids had done it…

She suddenly heard someone coming and darted to hide. She furrowed her brows as she caught sight of a young boy, checking the room she had once been in.

The girl watched for a moment then moved from her hiding place. "I'm right here."

The boy gasped.

"Put down the knife." Clementine ordered.

"How about you do the same?" A voice said.

Clementine looked to see a figure holding a crossbow which was aimed in her direction.

"We're not gonna hurt you. We got your kids… They're safe. I'll take you to see them. Just put down the knife." The figure said.

Clementine paused, "How about a show of good faith. You lower yours, I'll lower mine."

The boy slowly lowered his weapon.

Clementine sighed and slowly dropped the knife.

"See. We're not gonna hurt you." The boy stepped closer. "I'm Marlon. The little guy is Tennessee. "Tenn" for short. He's the one who's been taking care of you." Marlon wrapped an arm aroud the boy's shoulders. "He uh, doesn't talk much."

"Clementine." The girl replied.

"Sorry about locking the door and tying you to the bed and all. You were in, uh, pretty rough shape when we found you. We had to take precautions. You know, just in case. But you're safe now and so are the kids." Marlon explained.

Clementine nodded. "I guess, I understand. I probably would've done the same."

"Still I apologize. Tying folks up isn't exactly what we enjoy around here." Marlon said.

"I get it…" Clementine said. "How long was I out?"

"A few weeks." Marlon said.

Clementine's eyes widened. "Wh-What?"

Marlon chuckled. "Relax, I'm just messing you. It's been a little over a day."

"Shit… You're serious? A whole day?" Clementine asked.

"You had a pretty bad head injury. I'm surprised you're not in a coma." Marlon replied.

Clementine frowned at that. "I'm glad I'm not in a coma."

"Yeah… Or worse." Marlon said.

The girl nodded.

"Anyway, we took care of your little ones. Fed them and stuff." Marlon said.

"Thanks…" Clementine said.

"They're wild. I can't imagine how you take care of three kids on your own." Marlon muttered.

"I manage pretty well. Fortunately, they're good kids." Clementine replied.

"Bias opinion…" Marlon stated.

Clementine raised a brow. "What?"

"Everyone likes to believe their kid is an angel." Marlon said.

"I never said they were angels. But they're well behaved… considering…" Clementine said.

"I guess." Marlon shrugged. "Come on, I'll take you to see the kids."

Clementine gave a nod, but instantly regretted it as her head throbbed.

"Take it easy." Marlon said, noticing the girl's pained expression. "You're gonna need a while before your heads healed up."

"Don't worry about me." The girl muttered. "I'm good."

Marlon and Tenn exchanged looks.

"This way." Marlon urged the girl to follow.

Clementine did so. Marlon led her outside to some kind of yard. The girl looked around, realizing not a single adult was insight.

"So, you've been surviving out there a while, huh?" Marlon asked.

"Yeah, we've been on the road a long time." Clementine confirmed.

"I take it you know how to handle yourself. You don't usually see people our age alone out in the wild." Marlon said.

"Sure, I do what I can to get by." Clementine shrugged.

"No matter what?" Marlon asked.

Clementine looked away.

"Don't worry about it. We all do what we have to." Marlon said. "Your girl's out here, been bugging Violet all day."

"Violet?"

"Yeah. You'll get to meet everyone." Marlon said.

As they walked further into the yard, Clementine sighed in relief as she spotted her four year old daughter sitting at a table, next to a girl about Clementine's age. The child seemed to be drawing.

"It wasn't easy getting you guys out of that wreck. Walkers were on the way." Marlon said.

"The car, was it totaled?" Clementine questioned.

Marlon nodded. "Yeah..."

"Fuck." Clementine sighed.

"Had to work fast. I don't know what would've happened if we hadn't see the smoke." Marlon said.

"I appreciate it..." Clementine trailed off and raised a brow as a young boy walked over and stared at her. "Uh, hi there...?"

The boy quickly darted off without a word, leaving Clementine confused. "What's his problem?"

"You're just new. We haven't seen anything like you in... ever." Marlon explained.

Clementine looked around. "What is this place?"

"You can probably tell it used to be a school. Now it's whatever we want it to be." Marlon said.

"And who's in charge?" Clementine asked.

"Well... I am. Probably sounds strange, kids run by a kid. But we do all right for ourselves." Marlon said. "We've got good walls, good defenses. Good location, too. No one really comes out this way anymore. We've carved ourselves the perfect camp. Kids are safe here. We make sure of it."

"No adults...at all?" Clementine was surprised by the mere thought.

"Wasn't always like this, though. People leave. They die. There's less of us all around." Marlon said.

At that moment little Aleena glanced up from her drawing and noticed her. The child beamed and jumped to her feet. Aleena's curly blondish-brown hair bounced in her pigtails as she ran over to her Clementine.

"Mommy!" The child exclaimed.

"Hey, baby girl." Clementine smiled and hugged the child. "What have you been up to?"

"I made you a picture, mommy!" Aleena said.

Marlon wore a shocked expression. "Hold on... Mommy? She's yours?"

"And?" Clementine asked.

"I... I'm just surprised..." Marlon said. "What about the other two?""

Clementine ignored the question and instead asked one of her own, "Where are the other two?"

"You'll see them soon. Relax. They're fine." Marlon said. "I got us a system in place that works well enough. Allow me to make it formal: Welcome to Ericson's Boarding School for Troubled Youth. I think you and your kids could both fit that description."

"I was a pretty good as a kid before everything changed. Made a lot of trouble since then." Clementine said.

"We all had to grow up fast... But your boy, he's been a little terror since he's arrived." Marlon said.

"Excuse me?" Clementine inquired.

"Let's just say he hasn't been happy without you around. At all." Marlon said.

"Yo! Marlon! We've got walkers on the fence!" The young boy from earlier exclaimed.

"Shit. I need to take care of this." Marlon started to walk off. "Knowing Willy it's probably two grandma walkers and an angry squirrel. You got bigger fish. The other two are inside. I think they're with Louis."

"Louis?" Clementine echoed.

"Oh, right... Just listen for the music, you'll find them." Marlon walked further away. "Get a move on, Willy! Where's your damn weapon?"

"Come on, Leena. Lets-

"Not yet, Mommy. Come see my drawing," Aleena said, taking Clementine's hand and tugging urgently.

"Okay, okay. Let's hurry up." Clementine said.

Aleena led her over to the table.

"Hey... I guess I'm off duty now..." The teen, who Clementine assumed was Violet, said.

"I... Thanks for watching her." Clementine said.

"Right..." Violet replied.

"I hope she didn't cause any trouble." Clementine muttered.

"Well, she wasn't a complete nightmare... Once the tantrums stopped." Violet muttered

"Look!" Aleena motioned to her picture.

Violet looked to Aleena's face then Clementine's. "Sisters?"

"Huh?" Clementine asked.

"She's looks just like you. Aside from the hair." Violet said.

"Oh..." Clementine said. "I-"

"This is my mommy!" Aleena answered before Clementine got another word out.

"M-Mommy?" Violet looked shocked. "Holy shit..."

"It's a long story..." Clementine said.

The other teen just nodded and walked away, not bothering to pry.

"Do you like it?" Aleena motioned to the drawing.

There are crayons scattered across the table. Clementine looks at the picture, "What's this?"

"A doggy." Aleena replied.

"Doggy?" Clementine asked looking confused. The kids hadn't been around any dogs.

"It's for you, mommy." Aleena said.

"Umm... Thank you." Clementine accepted the picture. As much as she didn't like dogs, she wasn't going to break the child's heart by refusing her artwork. "We should go find Crystal and AJ."

Aleena nodded in response, taking Clementine's hand.

The two headed back inside the school.

"Alright, follow the music he said." Clementine said.

"I hear music!" Aleena said. "We can follow it together."

"Right, baby…" Clementine continued through the halls, following the sound of the music.

The two suddenly heard a yelp and they spotted a girl coming around the corner. "You little motherfucker!"

The redhead teen noticed them and stormed over to Clementine. "Hey. HEY."

"Uh,"

"'Bout time you woke up! Your little boy just BIT me. He's lucky I didn't take a boot to his head." The redhead hissed.

Aleena gave a tiny giggle at that.

The redhead shot Aleena a glare. "You think this is funny?!"

"Yes-"

"No she doesn't. Look, I'm so sorry. He acts out sometimes. He's been through a lot." Clementine said.

"Yeah, we'll ain't we all. Don't see any of us sinking our teeth into either of you." The redhead snapped. "Boy needs to learn some respect.

Clementine sighed as the other girl walked off. She continued into the room where she spotted AJ and Crystal standing by a boy who was playing the piano.

Before long AJ spotted her. "Clem!" He beamed.

Crystal smiled as well. The two children ran towards Clementine who hugged them.

"You're okay. I was afraid you were..." AJ trailed off.

"Are you okay?" Crystal asked little worried. "Does your head hurt?"

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Clementine said. "And you know what you two are?"

"What?" AJ asked.

"Ticklish!" Clementine began to tickle the two who laughed. "But... AJ, listen to me. That girl out there told me you bit her. Is that true?"

AJ frowned lowering his gaze.

"You can't be doing that, kiddo. These people helped us." Clementine said.

"I didn't mean to. She snuck up on me." AJ said.

"Still. No more bites." Clementine said.

"You're not dead. That's good." Another teen's spoke. "Watched your kids for you."

"I hope they didn't cause you any trouble." Clementine said.

"They were a bit of a handful. But I got off light compared to what Ruby got." The teen said.

"AJ doesn't like people coming up behind him." Clementine informed him.

"Don't ever do it." AJ added.

"Loud and clear, little man." The teen said. "Thankfully I was here to calm him down with my alluring music. I'm Louis."

"Clementine." Clementine introduced.

Louis turned to the piano and began playing again. "Oh, yeah! Totally forgot. Marlon left your bag in here somewhere."

"Don't worry. I've got it." Clementine searched for the bag quickly finding it. She searched through it, making sure nothing was missing. She smiled as she found her hat in the bag. AJ approached her. Clementine pulled a gun from her bag and handed it to the boy.

"Um..." Louis was shocked and hit the wrong key. "Double umm... Does he know what that is?"

"It's dirty." AJ frowned.

"Clean it." Clementine said.

"Maybe later. Back you go." AJ pocketed the gun.

"Where it belongs." Clementine said.

"Dude. That can't be a good idea. That thing's bigger than him. Is it actually loaded?" Louis asked.

"Yes." AJ said.

"Oh, good." Louis said sarcastically.

"I trust him." Clementine said.

"...You guys do your thing I guess." Louis muttered, turning back to the piano. He started to play again.

Clementine listened for a while before asking. "You don't know any others?"

"Well, there is one... But you're armed." Louis said.

Clementine raised a brow.

Louis started to play the keys and Clementine sighed as she recognized the song.

Crystal studied her mother's expression. "What's wrong, mommy?"

"It's… nothing…" Clementine sighed.

Louis started singing, "Oh my Darling, Clementine".

Curious, Aleena looked around the piano as the teen boy continued playing.

"What are you looking for?" Crystal asked.

"It's magic." Aleena said.

"Magic? Where?" Crystal asked.

Aleena pointed to the piano.

Clementine smirked at that.

"How do you do that?" Aleena asked Louis suddenly.

"Do what?" Louis asked.

"Make pretty music?" Aleena asked.

"Well, anyone can make music." Louis answered.

"Really?" Aleena asked.

"Really. But it takes practice to make good music." Louis replied.

"I wanna make good music! Let me!" The child said.

"Leena, no…" AJ quickly said.

"W-Why?" The little girl looked confused.

"Well… It's loud…" AJ said.

"It's is." Clementine agreed.

"Loud's bad." AJ said.

"Not always." Clementine replied.

"The monsters like loud things…" AJ said.

"There's no monsters here… Right mommy?" Crystal said.

"Right... We're safe from the walkers." Clementine said.

"But it might bring them…" AJ said.

"They won't get through the gate. We won't let that happen." Clementine said.

"...Okay…" AJ muttered.

"Let me play! Please!" Aleena pleaded.

"Alright, kid. C'mere." Louis gently picked the four-year old up and placed her on the bench. "Alright, I'll show-"

Before he could finish his sentence, Aleena began pressing all the keys and giggling.

AJ quickly covered his ears.

"Look, mommy… I'm making music!" Aleena beamed.

"Uh, you sure are, Leena…" Clementine giggled.

Crystal frowned. "It doesn't sound like his music…"

"She just needs more practice. I'm sure she'll be better than me at playing." Louis said.

"Can I try?" Crystal asked. "I wanna make music too."

"Sure." Louis stood up and allowed the twins to share the bench.

The two girls started tapping away at the keys while giggling.

AJ kept his ears covered cringing at the noise.

"You okay, AJ?" Clementine asked.

The boy quickly shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Clementine asked the boy.

"It's too loud…" AJ said. "They should stop."

"They're having fun. Don't you want to give it a try?" Clementine said.

AJ looked over to the twins then back to Clementine. "Should I?"

"Only if you want to… No one's going force you." Clementine said.

AJ seemed hesitant but nodded. "I… I think I wanna try… Just once."

"Alright." Clementine looked over to the twins. "Girls, let AJ have a try."

"Okay…" Crystal sighed but agreed, slowly climbing down from the bench.

Aleena however pouted. "No!"

"Let me try!" AJ demanded.

"No! No no no!" Aleena said. She put her little feet on the bench, trying to block AJ's access to it.

"Aleena, that's not nice." Clementine said.

"My turn. I wanna make music." Aleena said.

"You already had a turn." Clementine said.

"Nu-uh… Crystal had a turn…" Aleena pouted.

"You both had a turn. Now let AJ have a chance." Clementine said.

"No…" Aleena refused.

"Leena…" Clementine said.

Aleena turned back to the piano and continued hitting the keys.

Clementine sighed, walking over she picked her daughter up from the bench and placed her onto her feet. The teen knelt to the child's level. "We have to let everyone have a turn." Clementine tells the child in a gentle yet chiding tone.

Aleena shakes her head, whimpering a bit. "I saw it first."

Clementine feels her heart ache as she sees tears in the girl's eyes. "Well, you can have another turn later, okay?" She can already sense a tantrum coming.

"Not later! Now!" Aleena exclaimed.

"Leena…" Crystal called in a calm tone. "You're making mommy sad…"

Aleena gasped at that, looking as if she was going to cry. "Mommy's sad…?"

"I… I'm not sad, girls… I just want you all to take turns. Can you do that for mommy, please?" Clementine asked.

Aleena paused for a minute. "Okay…"

"Thank you, baby…" Clementine said.

"Alright, little man. Your turn." Louis motioned toward the piano key. "Come press this key."

AJ hesitated.

"Go ahead, AJ. Press it." Clementine urged.

AJ slowly moved forward and did so.

"Now press this one." Louis pointed to another key.

AJ pressed the key.

"And this one." Louis said.

AJ smiled and did so.

"You're a natural." Louis told him.

Clementine gave a smile of her own. Maybe this would be a nice place for them to stay.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Considering not much happens this chapter, I'll try to get the next one out asap. Possibly tomorrow!**_

 _ **Thank you SO much for all your reads, reviews, faves, and follows.**_

* * *

"My turn again!" Aleena exclaimed, wanting to play the piano again.

"No… It's mommy's turn." Crystal said.

"Uh, I'm good. I don't think I'd be too good at it anyway." Clementine said.

"It's… shocking…" Louis said.

"What is?" Clementine asked him.

"Hearing them call you that." Louis said.

"What's so shocking about it? I'm their mother." Clementine replied.

"And you're a kid…" Louis said a bit awkwardly.

"Mommy says she's grown up!" Aleena said.

"And you only listen to what mommy says, no one else. Okay?" Clementine said to the little girl.

Aleena nodded.

Louis opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted as Marlon entered the room.

"Hey. Have you seen Rosie?" Marlon asked.

"Nope." Louis said.

"Shit..." Marlon sighed. "We got a bit of a situation out there. Umm... I hate to ask since you've just come to and all, but we could use a hand. You up for taking out a few deadheads?"

Clementine gave a nod.

"You too, Louis. Get your ass in gear." Marlon said.

"Fine..." Louis said as he stood.

The group of kids headed outside and made their way to the gate. Upon arriving at the gate, they noticed Violet was looking outside. Marlon called out to "Rosie" a few more times but got no response.

"We've got a hunting party out there trying to get inside. They need our help to clear the way. Seems to be a few more than usual these last couple days." Marlon explained to Clementine.

"It's almost like something drew their attention. Something like… I don't know… an explosion. Or a car crash." Violet shrugged.

"Vi…" Marlon sighed.

"What? Just saying… There's gotta be some explanation." Violet said.

"I didn't know any of that was going to happen. Sorry if it caused you guys trouble…" Clementine said. "And uh, we didn't get a proper introduction. I'm Clementine."

"I know. Your kids wouldn't stop talking about you." Violet replied.

"I'm sure… Hopefully they didn't drive you too crazy." Clementine half joked.

"Trust me, I think Aleena tried." Violet said.

Aleena pouted at that.

"No offense, kid." Violet said.

"So much for a proper introduction." Louis said. "Hello, Clementine. My name is Violet, nice to meet you."

"What he said." Violet shrugged.

"Alright boys and girls!" Willy suddenly called. "They're starting to fill in!"

With that the group got ready to head out.

The second Clementine moved toward the gate, Aleena grabbed hold of her jacket. "No!"

Clementine looked down to her. "Aleena-"

Aleena clutched tighter. "Don't go!"

"Leena, stop. I'll be back." Clementine said.

Aleena shook her head tightening her grip.

"Clem, lemme help!" AJ said.

Clementine looked over to him. "I need you to watch my back. Call out from inside if you see anything. Cool?"

"Okay…" AJ agreed.

Clementine had to pry Aleena's little hands from her jacket as her daughter clung to her. She knelt to the child's level. "Mommy will be right back. I promise."

Aleena whimpered, and Crystal started to comfort her as Clementine stood and walked off.

Clementine felt bad, it was always tough seeing one of the kids upset, but Aleena couldn't cling to her all the time.

They didn't fire any guns as they killed the walkers. They made sure to be careful and avoid drawing more of the undead.

After killing a couple walkers, Louis gave Clementine a demonstration of one of their traps. Clementine had to admit, it was pretty impressive.

These kids definitely knew how to handle themselves when it came to walkers.

After taking out the undead, they caught up with some other group members.

"Nice timing. We're not gonna be able to hold them off much longer." Violet said.

"No kidding. Where'd all these walkers come from?" One of the girls, who Clementine had yet to meet said.

"We can talk when we're back inside the gates. Keep an eye out for stragglers." Marlon said.

The others nodded.

"You know you're not half bad, considering the circumstances and all." Violet said as she walked by Clementine.

Clementine gave a small smile. "Thanks."

"Let's finish these guys off. We don't need them attracting more walkers back to the school." Violet rushed forward, and Clementine followed suit.

She took out another walker before noticing one of the creatures sneaking up behind a boy. She rushed forward and stabbed it, causing the walker to turn its attention onto her.

Clementine struggled against it for a moment before it was suddenly attack. The girl backed up and trembled as her gaze caught sight of a dog. The dog bit the walker's head, blood covering's snout.

With the walker now dead, the dog started to approach the terrified girl, who stumbled back.

"Good girl!" Marlon suddenly said.

Clementine couldn't help but flinch at the phrase.

Marlon came over to the dog and pet her. "Hey, hey, it's all right, girl. It's all right. I see you and Rosie are making friends."

"I... had a bad experience with a dog once." Clementine admitted.

"Well Rosie here can help you get over it. She's as cuddly as they come. Except when she's mauling walkers, that is." Marlon said.

Clementine didn't know how to respond to that.

"Hey...That walker came out of nowhere." The boy she had saved said.

Clementine gave a nod.

"Alright, alright, fun's over. Let's get inside. I'm fucking starving." Marlon said.

"You're not the only one." Clementine said.

The group continued towards the school.

"How'd it go out there?" Marlon asked the other party of kids.

"How do you think it went?" The boy scoffed.

"Be nice, Aasim." The girl said.

"Safe zone's nearly dry. I barely found enough for tonight. We're gonna have to scout out further if we want food for the winter." Aasim said.

"We'll talk about it later." Marlon said.

"Bullshit. We should talk about this right now!" Aasim argued.

"I said later, dammit!" Marlon snapped.

Clementine was surprised by the suddenly aggressiveness, but said nothing as Marlon walked faster, bumping pass Aasim.

Louis and Violet caught up with the girl. Louis immediately started complimenting her on how easily she took out the walkers, but Violet seemed to be in a glum mood. Clementine noted that the two were complete opposites, it almost funny how they interacted together.

Eventually they got back into the gates and Clementine was immediately greeted by the twins hugging her.

"Are you okay, mommy?" Crystal asked.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Clementine hugged them back before hearing Aleena whimpering. "Leena, baby... What's wrong?"

"You left me..." Aleena sniffled as she clung to her mother.

"I didn't leave you... Nobody left you." Clementine said. "I'm right here, aren't I?"

"I... I thinked that maybe you wouldn't come back..." Aleena said.

"You _thought_ I wouldn't come back?" Clementine corrected, earning a tiny nod. "Of course I would. I would never leave you guys."

"P-Promise?" Aleena asked.

"I promise, baby." Clementine held her until her tears subsided. "No more tears, okay."

Aleena nodded.

"I'm glad you're okay, mommy." Crystal said as she hugged Clementine as well.

"I'm glad too, Crystal." Clementine said.

"They're pretty good. With the monsters." AJ commented.

Before Clementine could respond, Marlon grabbed hold of AJ should, earning an elbow to the crotch. The teen kneeled over, groaning in pain.

"AJ!" Clementine gasped.

The boy looked guilty for what he had done and quickly darted off.

"I'm so sorry about that. It happens sometimes." Clementine said.

"He's a jumpy little guy." Marlon breathed out.

"You gonna be okay?" Clementine asked.

"Look, he can't go around punching people in the... you know.. and expect 'em to eat at the same table…" Marlon said.

"I'll talk to him." Clementine said.

* * *

After AJ had delivered that "accidental" crotch shot to Marlon, Clementine decided to help the boy make friends and apologize to everyone he had wronged.

With that settled the group gathered for dinner. Dinner was relaxing it was nice to have a real meal and make conversation with some of the other kids.

Clementine thought it was kind when Louis offered his leftovers to AJ who had still been hungry. She was glad that the child actually had a meal, instead of just snacks for once.

After they finished eating, Louis suggested a game of cards. Marlon and Violet both accepted. Clementine seemed a bit hesitant.

"What about the kids?" She asked.

"What about them?" Marlon asked before motioning over to AJ who had wandered to another table. "Looks like AJ made a friend… C'mon, you can take your eyes off him for one card game."

"I guess." Clementine said.

"How about you girls go play too?" Louis said.

Aleena shook her head. "I wanna stay with mommy."

"Sure, you can stay." Clementine said. "You want to stay with mommy too, Crystal?"

The little girl glanced over to where AJ and Tenn were. "I… I wanna be with mommy, but I wanna play too..."

"You can go play, baby." Clementine said. "Mommy's not going anywhere."

"Promise?" Crystal asked.

"I promise. I'll be right here where you can see me." Clementine said.

"Okay." With that Crystal headed over to join the two boys.

"Why don't you go play too?" Marlon asked Aleena.

"I am gonna play…" Aleena claimed.

"Oh?" Louis asked.

"With mommy!" Aleena said.

"Well, your mom's playing with us right now." Louis said.

"I'm playing too!" Aleena claimed.

"You don't even know how to play." Louis argued.

"Uh-huh!" Aleena said.

"Louis, you're fighting with a three-year old." Violet said.

"I'm four!" Aleena argued.

"Okay... A four-year old." Violet corrected.

Louis sighed. "Alright then… We'll play war."

"War? I've never played it before." Clementine said.

"Don't worry. It's so easy a toddler could do it… No offense, kid." Louis said.

"What are the rules?" Clementine said.

"I'll pass out some card, then we all flip the top one at the same time and the person with the highest number wins." Louis said.

"Sounds simple enough." Clementine said.

"It is. You'll get it as we go along." Violet told her.

"And the winner gets to ask Clem a question." Louis suggested.

Clementine shot him a look.

"What? I want to get to know you. We all do." Louis said.

"And what if I win?" Clementine asked.

"Then you get to ask us one. It's only fair." Louis said.

"Well, get ready to lose, losers. You're up against a champion." Clementine said.

Aleena whispered something into her mother's ear, making Clementine chuckle.

"Make that two." Clementine correct herself.

"Bold talk." Marlon said.

"Uh-uh. True talk." Clementine said.

Louis dealt out some cards.

"Where's mine…?" Aleena asked.

"You're going to help me, right?" Clementine questioned.

"Oh, yes!" Aleena said.

"Good, she'll need your good luck." Marlon said.

"I'll help you be super lucky, mama!" Aleena said.

Clementine smirked. "Thanks, Leena."

Aleena sat on her mother's lap to play Clementine's cards.

They flipped the cards over and Clementine quickly noticed that Violet won.

"Did you win, mama?" Aleena asked.

"Not this time, baby." Clementine said.

"Aww..." Aleena pouted.

"Well, way to go me." Violet said.

Clementine looked to her, waiting for her question.

"So about AJ... Where are his parents? You two don't really look related, so... what happened there?" Violet asked.

"I... They're dead. They were nice people... for the most part... His mom... She... helped me a lot... We were separated from our group and she... took care of me, the best she could anyway..." Clementine said. "So... I'm doing what I can to look after AJ..."

"Makes sense... He's a nice kid." Louis said.

"For the most part." Clementine added.

They started another round. Clementine went to flip her card, but Aleena stopped her. "I wanna."

"Alright, kiddo. Go for it." Clementine said.

Aleena flipped the card and Clementine scanned over them. "Hey, I win- I mean, we win."

"Hey, you do. So, what do you wanna know?" Louis asked.

Clementine thought for a moment. "Well...What's up with your haircut, Marlon?"

"Oh boy..." Louis muttered.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Marlon asked.

Violet smirked and spoke up, "She means it looks like a dead cat. Probably smells like one too."

"Uh, I look cool." Marlon claimed.

"Whatever you say..." Violet shrugged.

"I say I look cool." Marlon repeated.

Clementine allowed her daughter to flip over the card again, but her four-year-old seemed to be losing interest in the game and instead grew content on just snuggling with her mother.

"So uh... I take it you've had a... boyfriend before?" Louis asked.

"...Not really..." Clementine said.

"Seriously? But... You uh, have two kids." Louis replied.

"And?" Clementine asked.

"You and their dad... never dated?" Louis raised a brow.

"No..." Clementine answered.

"Oh... Well, I never had a girlfriend before." Louis told her.

"I'm sure she's real surprised by that one." Violet rolled her eyes.

"I don't need a boyfriend... Love is for suckers. Just causes trouble." Clementine stated.

"Amen." Marlon said.

"Yeah... But the best kind of trouble, right?" Louis replied.

Clementine just rolled her eyes. "You want to flip the card, Leena?"

The girl didn't respond.

"Looks like she's out like a light. All that running around earlier probably tired her out." Violet said.

"I guess that's a good thing." Clementine said.

They continued the game with Marlon winning this time.

"So, Clem... No way you were alone this entire time. You mention some woman, Rebecca, right? She's the one who took care of you?" Marlon asked.

"For... a little while. That's a long and... complicated story." Clementine said. "The first person who taught me about survival was Lee."

"What'd he teach you?" Marlon asked.

"Lots of stuff." Clementine replied.

"Most important thing?" Marlon questioned.

"He taught me how to say goodbye." Clementine answered.

Another series of flips and Clementine smiled. "I win again."

"You do indeed. Ask away." Louis urged.

"Hmm...You guys meet anyone famous out there?" Clementine asked while shifting Aleena slightly in her arms.

"No." Violet shook her head.

"Too bad. You'd figure a movie star or something would show up somewhere." Louis said.

"They had like millions of dollars. They're probably living in a bunker with butlers and water beds out the ass." Violet said.

Louis nodded. "Yeah, maybe."

"I met a guy that used to be a baseball player. Like, for money. He... helped me out a lot too." Clementine said.

"That's cool. I used to love baseball. Was he good at it?" Louis asked.

"Dunno. We never got to play. He was good with a bat, though." Clementine said.

"Baseball sucks." Violet sighed.

"You suck." Louis said to her.

"Not as much as baseball." Violet said.

They continued playing for a bit but as the game progressed the questions started to get darker. Clementine found herself feeling a bit uncomfortable at times. Almost like she was being interrogated.

"Victory Violet." Violet smirked as she won again. "Here's something I love to ask in groups. Out of the four of us who do you think with die first?"

"That's fucked up." Louis said.

"Oh, I know." Violet said.

"...I just hope it's not me. I mean... I made it this far." Clementine said. And her kids needed her.

"So have we." Violet said.

Clementine was feeling anxious as they flipped cards again. She looked to see Marlon had won.

"Alright… I'm just wondering, where are the twins' dad?" Marlon asked.

Clementine felt her heart drop, she held her sleeping daughter a bit closer and shook her head. "Please... Please don't ask. I don't want to talk about it."

Marlon frowned. "I... Was just curious… Sorry."

"I don't want to talk about it…" Clementine repeated.

"It's okay… you don't have to…" Marlon said.

"I don't like to… think about the past." Clementine said.

"Yeah, I think we all have bad memories." Marlon replied.

Clementine was ready to call it quits at this point, but they convinced her to play another round. Louis won.

"I am the greatest card player of all time." Louis said.

"Just ask your damn question." Violet groaned.

Louis was hesitant. "Ever...actually, nevermind."

"What? Ask it." Clementine urged.

"It's not a fun question." Louis said.

"Ask." Clementine said.

"Ever had to... kill someone you love?" Louis asked.

"I… I…" Clementine started stammering.

"You don't have to answer it, Clem." Violet said.

Clementine was hesitant to reply. "I... I had to shoot Lee."

Everyone's expressions fell.

"He... got bit saving me and... I had to do it... I had to..." Clementine felt like she wanted to cry. She held her daughter closer, until she felt a bit calmer. She sighed. "I… think I'm done playing for the night."

"That's probably for the best…" Marlon stood and made his way over. "Come on. I'll walk you to your room."

"You sure?" Clementine said.

"Yeah." Marlon said. "Want me to carry your girl for you?"

"N-No… I got her." Clementine said.

"Alright. Come on." Marlon offered the girl his hand.

Clementine took his hand and he pulled her to her feet.

Violet suddenly let out a sigh. "I guess I should head to bed too…"

"Yeah… Same." Louis said.

Clementine noticed that both of them spoke in hurt tones. She wondered if she had done something wrong. "Goodnight." She said to them, however neither teen offered a response. Clementine frowned, she had definitely done something.

"Don't mind them." Marlon said. "They're just being… gloomy."

"Why?" Clementine asked.

"Probably got a lot on their minds." Marlon shrugged.

"Who doesn't nowadays?" Clementine muttered before calling, "Crystal, AJ, come on."

The two children came over after saying goodnight to Tenn. Marlon led them inside and to their room.

"You good here?" Marlon asked.

"Yeah. Thanks, Marlon." Clementine said.

"No problem." Marlon replied. "Try to get some rest."

"I will. Night." Clementine said.

Marlon shut the door and Clementine gently placed Aleena on a bed. The little girl stirred. "Mama?"

"Go back to sleep, baby. It's okay." Clementine said.

"You promised to cuddle with me…" Aleena said.

Crystal frowned. "I wanna cuddle with mommy…"

"I'll cuddle with you both tonight." Clementine said. "Why don't you two lay down?"

Crystal nodded and climbed into the bed beside Aleena.

"AJ too?" Crystal asked.

AJ shook his head. "I'm too big for cuddles."

"Sure you are." Clementine chuckled.

"This room is nice…" Crystal said.

"Nicer than the car." AJ said.

"Yeah. It is." Clementine agreed. "Come on, kiddo. Bedtime."

"Five minutes, please." AJ pleaded.

"Five." Clementine agreed.

AJ started to look around before checking the box on the table. "There's a lot of colors in here."

"An artist must've lived in here." Clementine said.

"What's an artist?" AJ asked.

"Someone who makes drawing's, does pictures, like Tenn."

"Oh, I like to make pictures too." AJ said.

Crystal watched curiously as AJ started coloring at a desk.

"You want to color too, Crystal?" Clementine asked.

"I'll stay with Leena, just in case she gets scared. Until you lay down, mommy." Crystal said.

"That's nice of you. Thanks, Crystal." Clementine said. She took her hat off and placed it on the table.

It wasn't long until the door opened, and Violet entered. "Oh… Shit, I…I didn't know Marlon set you guys up in here."

"You can sleep here too!" Aleena said.

"Nah, I'm good…" Violet said. "Just looking for something." She started over to the closet but stopped when she noticed the art box on the table. "That's what I was looking for. It belonged to Sophie."

Clementine raised a brow.

"Tenn's sister." Violet explained. "He was asking for more art supplies and stuff so… I was going to…"

"Oh… Sorry. We didn't know." Clementine said, looking a bit guilty.

"No… It's fine. Don't worry about it. Honestly, it's been sitting here for the past year and no one's touched it. If AJ wants to play with it, that's fine." Violet said.

Clementine looked over to AJ. "You should probably give the box back. It doesn't belong to us."

"Okay…" AJ agreed.

"Thanks, buddy. It's just that Tenn wanted it since it was his sister's and all." Violet said.

"It's okay." AJ replied.

"You can finish your drawing though. I don't mind." Violet said.

AJ smiled at that and went back to his coloring.

Violet looked around, catching sight of some of Clementine's belongings. "I see you're settling in."

"Yeah... Is that okay?" Clementine asked.

"Sure. I guess." Violet said. "You doing okay? That game didn't... upset you too much?"

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me." Clementine said.

"I always liked this room. Sophie had like paintings and shit on the wall, lots of color. And Minerva, she was really musical. Not like Louis though. She had actual talent." Violet said.

Clementine giggled at that.

"She had the most amazing voice. Real bluesy. Marlon always joked that he would scavenge a guitar and the two of them would tour the country... That was a long time ago... After they..." Violet paused. "Afterwards, Brody and Tenn took down all the pictures and that was the end of it. I shouldn't have even brought it up. It's not a good memory. Guess I just lost my train of thought."

"Well they sound like they were great friends." Clementine replied.

"Yeah. Sophie was a good friend. And Minnie... uh... we were close."

"What exactly happened to them?" Clementine asked as she took a seat on the bed. She felt Crystal grab her hand. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing… I just wanted to hold your hand." Crystal muttered.

Clementine gave a smile at that.

"Lay down, mama..." Aleena said as well.

"Soon, girls. Soon." Clementine looked back to Violet. "So... what happened to Sophie and Minerva?"

"They went scavenging with Marlon and Brody out pass the safe zone. Didn't make it back. It happens." Violet sighed.

"Oh... I'm sorry." Clementine frowned. She knew how hard it was losing people.

"Honestly, I just miss having someone to talk to. There's just so many dudes. This place can get a bit too bro-town for my liking." Violet said. "And I'm not exactly like a people person, you know. I know I sometimes have a habit of being a little too harsh."

"I think you come off alright. I thought you were pretty cool." Clementine said.

Violet seemed taken aback by that. "Oh... Thanks. You were pretty cool too. Out there against those walkers."

"Hey, Clem! I'm an artist now." AJ called.

Clementine stood up to take a look at his drawing. "Not bad, kiddo."

AJ smiled at that.

"I should be getting back. Thanks again for the box. You're pretty cool AJ." Violet took the box and headed for the door. "Later."

"Night." Clementine said.

* * *

Once Violet left the room Clementine proceeded to settle in with the little ones. After convincing AJ to get in bed she laid down herself. The twins lay beside her. It wasn't long until they had all drifted to sleep.

She didn't know how long had passed before she felt someone nudging her awake.

"Clem…" A little voice called.

Clementine groaned, "What?"

"…Can you scoot over?" AJ asked.

The girl opened her eyes, looking a bit confused. "AJ?"

"Please?" AJ said. "Can you?"

"Is everything okay?" Clementine asked.

"Uh-huh…" AJ said as he crawled into bed.

Clementine scooted a bit. "Not a lot of room for the four of us. We might have to cuddle."

"…I don't mind. Just for the night." AJ said.

Clementine gave a smiled, "Sure, just for the night…"


	3. Chapter 3

_Muffled whimpers fell from her lips. Clementine wanted to scream for help. The girl was trapped in a nightmare, pinned down beneath a figure. She tried to escape, but it was all in vain. The man's hands moved towards her pants and she screamed. Her heart pounding in her little chest, she was in a complete panic. "P-Please... Do-Don't!"_

" _You're all mine…" The figure replied._

" _N-No! NO!" Clementine cried._

"Mommy?" Crystal called. "Mommy, wake up!"

Feeling her daughter shaking her, Clementine quickly jumped awake. Sweat dripped from her face along with tears.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Crystal's voice was small and uncertain, full of concern.

Clementine could feel tears fall from her cheeks. She told herself her nightmare was over. She was safe.

After an interminable amount of time, Clementine's whimpers stopped.

"Why are you crying, mommy?" Crystal asked. "You had a bad dream?"

Clementine couldn't bring herself to answer, lost in her own tears.

Crystal frowned and hugged her teenage mother. "Are you scared?"

Clementine couldn't help but nod.

"What are you scared of?" Crystal asked.

Clementine didn't respond.

"I'll protect you, mommy." Crystal said. "We're safe here."

"I... I'm okay, baby..." Clementine finally managed to get out.

"You're not sad?" Crystal asked.

"No... I... I'm fine." Clementine lied. She wasn't fine.

"Do you need water?"

Clementine's throat did feel a bit dry, but she shook her head. "N-No... Let's just go back to sleep."

"Okay..." Crystal agreed, laying back beside her mother. "I love you, mommy."

"I love you too, baby..." Clementine said.

Cuddled close beside the three people she loved the most, Clementine felt much calmer. And eventually, she was able to once again drift off.

* * *

When morning came, Clementine was already awake. However, the kids noticed she wasn't fully awake. She was in one of her away modes. The way she got when she was sad and didn't want to or couldn't talk to anyone.

When Aleena tries nudging her, Clementine simply pulls the pillow over her head.

Crystal and AJ both frown.

"I don't think she's feeling good…" AJ said.

"Why?" Aleena asked.

"Cause of bad dreams…." Crystal answered.

"What bad dreams?" Aleena asked.

"She always has nightmares." AJ said.

Aleena scrunched up her nose before hugging Clementine. "I'll lay with you, mama! Until you feel all better."

"We should let her rest." AJ said.

"She'll be scared alone..." Crystal said. "I should protect her…"

"Nu-uh. She's tough. Anyway, we can check on her." AJ said.

"…Okay…" Crystal agreed. "Come on, Leena…"

"I wanna stay with mama!" Aleena said.

"She's sick. Leave her alone." AJ said.

"No!" Aleena huffed. "I wanna stay!"

"Don't fight… That will make mommy sad." Crystal said. "Leena, let's get some breakfast. We can bring some for mommy too."

Aleena paused for a moment before slowly letting Clementine go. "Okay. We'll be back, mommy."

No response.

Aleena hoped off the bed and took Crystal's hand.

The three children left the room, leaving Clementine alone.

* * *

When the three youngest in the group had shown up to breakfast without their mother the older kids quickly sense something was wrong.

Even after everyone had been served and started to eat, Clementine didn't come out to join them.

Aleena was refusing to touch her food. Both Crystal and AJ were trying to convince the little girl to eat her oatmeal.

"What's the matter, Leena? Is it too hot?" Violet asked.

"N-No…" Aleena sniffled. "I want mommy."

Crystal paused, "Mommy's okay… She's resting."

Marlon had raised a brow. "What's wrong with your mom?"

"She's sick! Mommy's sick!" Aleena exclaimed.

"Nu-uh!" Crystal said. "Mommy's not sick!"

"Yes she is!" Aleena insisted.

"She's not!" Crystal argued. "She doesn't have any coughing or a tummyache!"

"Mommy's sick! Mommy's sick!" Aleena repeated.

"Alright, girls, settle down. If your mommy's not feeling well, arguing won't help her feel better." Violet said. "Is she sick or not?"

"She's not sick. She's sad." Crystal said.

"Sad?" Louis asked.

"She's having an off day. She doesn't talk on off days…" AJ told them.

"Does she usually have off days?" Aasim asked.

AJ shook his head. "This is this first for a long time."

"What happens on off days?" Violet asked.

"She's quiet… Quieter than a mouse." AJ said. "And she doesn't eat anything…"

"She doesn't play. And no-nofing can make her happy." Crystal said.

"Nothing?" Violet asked.

"Nofing! Not even cuddles." Aleena pouted.

"Why is she sad?" Louis asked.

AJ and Aleena shrugged.

"Because she had a bad dream." Crystal said.

Brody frowned at that. "Aw, what about?"

"I think… a bad guy. She was crying last night." Crystal said.

"Mommy doesn't cry." Aleena said.

"Mm-hm. When she has bad dreams." Crystal said.

"Mommy's too tough to cry." Aleena claimed.

"Just because she's tough doesn't mean she can never cry." AJ said.

"AJ's right. It's okay for her to cry sometimes…" Violet said. "Who's the bad guy in your mommy's dreams?"

"I don't know… Mommy said she was scared though…" Crystal replied.

"Maybe I should talk to her." Marlon stood.

"Me too!" Aleena jumped to her feet as well.

Marlon quickly stopped her. "How about you stay here and finish breakfast. I won't take long."

"You sure that's a good idea?" Violet asked.

"I guess we'll see. Keep an eye on the kids." Marlon said.

Violet sighed but nodded as Marlon walked away.

* * *

Clementine didn't react to the knock on her door, nor did she move an inch when it opened.

"Hey…" Marlon called to her. "Everything okay?"

When he got no response, he wondered if the girl was asleep.

"You awake, Clem?" He asked.

Nothing.

"Omar made some breakfast. Nothing special. Just some oatmeal." Marlon said. "Do you like oatmeal?"

Marlon scratch the back of his head as the girl still said nothing.

"Well… we fed the kids… We'll save your food…" Marlon said. "Want me to bring you something?"

He felt like he was crazy, he knew at this point she wouldn't respond so why was he even trying. "I'll leave you alone then…"

"My babies…." Clementine finally muttered.

"Huh?"

"They're okay?" Clementine asked, sitting up.

"They're fine. Don't worry." Marlon said. "They were just a bit worried about you… Want me to bring you something to eat?"

"N-No… My bag." Clementine motioned towards her backpack.

"You want your bag?" Marlon asked.

Clementine nodded.

Marlon walked over to the corner of the room and grabbed the backpack which was leaned against the wall. He brought the bag to the girl. "Here."

"T-Thanks." Clementine accepted the bag. She unzipped it and pulled something out.

Marlon was a bit surprised to see a stuffed bear. "That yours?"

"Don't laugh…" Clementine muttered.

"I wouldn't. Nothing wrong with needing a toy. You're still a kid after all." Marlon shrugged.

"I'm not a kid." Clementine whispered.

Marlon barely caught it. "Okay then. I guess even adults like stuffed animals sometimes." Marlon said. "Your kids said you were having an off day…"

Clementine just shrugged as she held onto the teddy bear.

"Was it something we did?" Marlon asked.

"Just… bad memories…" Clementine replied.

"Cause the card game?"

"Nightmares…" Clementine simply said.

"About?"

The girl frowned, before shaking her head. "I… I can't… I'm sorry."

"Hey, hey… you don't have to. It's alright." Marlon looked to the tattered bear. "Uh, what's its name?"

"His…" Clementine corrected.

"What's his name?" Marlon asked.

"Promise." Clementine said.

"That's an interesting name. How'd you come up with that?" Marlon wondered.

"Because he's broken… Like me…" Clementine said.

* * *

Breakfast had been over with for nearly twenty minutes before Marlon and Clementine finally made their way outside.

Marlon felt like he had almost broken pass the girl's walls, or at least successfully cheered her up. Though he wondered what had happened to her. It was clear she didn't want to talk about it, but she was obviously traumatized.

"The queen has arrived." Louis smirked. "Welcome."

Clementine rolled her eyes. It wasn't long before the twins hugged her.

"Are you better now, mommy?" Crystal asked.

"I'm better, sweetie. Don't worry." Clementine said.

"I thought you would never wake up, sleeping beauty." Louis joked.

"I wasn't sleep… I was… thinking." Clementine said.

"About…?" Violet asked.

"It doesn't matter…" Clementine replied.

"AJ mentioned you were having a bad day. Wanna talk about it…" Brody asked.

"I…" Clementine trailed off.

"It's okay if you don't want to…" Violet said.

"I'm sorry… I just… I just don't think I can." Clementine said.

"Hey, it's fine. I'm not gonna push you to talk." Brody said.

Clementine didn't respond.

"Well… we saved you some oatmeal. It's gotten a bit cold though…" Ruby spoke up.

"I appreciate it." Clementine said.

"So… are you and the kids gonna stick around?" Violet asked.

"What do you mean?" Clementine asked.

"I mean, here. With us?" Violet asked.

"I… haven't made up my mind yet." Clementine answered.

"Please…. Can we? I don't wanna sleep in the car anymore." AJ said.

Clementine looked to the boy. "The car's gone, buddy. We couldn't sleep in it even if we wanted to."

"Good. Cause I don't want to." AJ said.

"Look, I'll think about staying… No promises." Clementine said.

"Fair enough." Marlon said. "Go on and eat something."

Clementine did so. The oatmeal was cold, but she had eaten much worse. She savored it.

* * *

Over the next few days, Clementine quickly became acquainted with the other kids at the school and before long, they were all starting to bond, over meal, over card games and board games.

After only a few days, she had actually begun to consider the kids friends.

Violet and Louis noticed Clementine and Marlon hung out more and more. The both wondered what was going on between the two.

To Clementine, Marlon was a good friend. He was someone she could vent to, and he could do the same with her. They were both struggling to keep people safe and alive, they understood each other's stress.

Clementine was often on edge. They could see why AJ was such a jumpy kid, Clementine could be the same way. She was apprehensive and almost panicked each time anyone unexpectedly touch her. She would have nightmares and then pace the night away.

No one had confronted her about it until now. She paced the halls until a voice asked, "Bad night?"

Clementine jumped, turning towards the source of the voice. "...I guess so."

"Nightmare?" Marlon asked.

Clementine simply nodded.

"What about?" Marlon asked.

Clementine sighed. "I... I can't, Marlon..."

"Clem... You trust me, don't you?" Marlon asked.

"I do… but-"

"Then tell me..." Marlon urged.

Clementine was hesitant. "You... You guys asked me about the girls' father..."

Marlon nodded.

"I… have nightmares about him…" Clementine admitted.

Marlon waited for her to continue.

"Well... He...H-He did... s-stuff to me..." Clementine said.

"What stuff?" Marlon asked.

Clementine tried to figure out how to respond. "Kis-"

Marlon raised a brow. "Kissing?"

Clementine shook her head. "He... He fu-" She stopped herself. "He just hurt me, okay..."

"Hurt you how? Clem, what did he do?" Marlon asked.

Clementine bit her hard enough to draw blood. She didn't answer though.

Marlon sighed, he was starting to piece things together. "Uh… Wanna step outside for a bit?"

"N-Now?" The girl asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Marlon said.

"It's late..." Clementine pointed out.

"Everyone's asleep. I could get Rosie and-"

The girl stopped him. "R-Rosie?"

"Just in case." Marlon said.

"I... I don't know." Clementine stammered. She still was nervous around the dog.

"How much longer are you gonna be scared of her?"

"Forever… Sorry, Marlon, but I don't really do well around dogs. They scare the hell out of me, since I was eleven." Clementine replied.

"You never told me why." Marlon said.

"I got attacked by one… I thought he was nice, but he… turned on me…for a can of beans." Clementine said.

"Well… Rosie wouldn't do that. She's sweet. And I think she likes you already." Marlon said.

"I don't know about that…" Clementine muttered.

"Tell you what, I'll help you get over that fear…" Marlon offered.

"How…?"

"Leave that to me." Marlon said. "For now, we can just sit outside, get some air."

"...Okay..." Clementine reluctantly agreed.

* * *

The two teens found themselves laid on one of the picnic tables, looking up to the sky.

"I always wonder why people have to go through so much hell..." Clementine muttered. "It's so unfair."

"Maybe to know how it feels to be happy..." Marlon said.

"Maybe..." Clementine said.

Marlon sat up and looked to her. "So that guy... Is he still alive..."

Clementine paused. "I hope not..."

"You don't know?" Marlon asked.

"It was years ago when we escaped..." Clementine replied.

"Escaped?"

Clementine didn't respond.

"How old was he?" Marlon asked.

Clementine raised a brow at the question. "I don't know… Older than me…"

"A little or a lot?"

"…Lots…" Clementine muttered.

"So… you had to escape from him… He had you trapped or something?" Marlon asked.

"He was after this group... They had saved me... but... I guess he... liked me..." Clementine said. "He kept us trapped at a hardware store. We spent a while trying to find a way to escape. They had me get a walkie-talkie, but… that plan failed."

"What happened then?" Marlon asked.

"He…He punished us…" Clementine whispered.

 _Carver dropped the bloodied radio, leaving Kenny injured on the ground._

 _The group was in panic from what had just happened._

" _This should teach you all not to cross me."_

 _AJ was crying. Clementine felt like the child's cries were getting louder and louder._

" _Shut him up!" Carver snapped at Rebecca._

" _I… I'm trying!"_

" _Now!" Carver ordered._

 _Rebecca rocked the baby, doing her best to calm his cries. Carver's impatient glare only made her feel nervous. When the infant's wails slowly turned into whimpers she sighed._

" _Bonnie, hand me the child."_

" _What?" Rebecca gasped._

" _The baby, now, Bonnie."_

 _Bonnie frowned and stepped over to Rebecca. "I'm sorry…"_

 _Rebecca's eyes widened, and she started to panic. "Please don't! Don't take my baby from me!"_

" _Bill…"_

" _NOW!" Carver ordered, like a spoiled child._

 _Bonnie took the baby from Rebecca's hands. "I'm so sorry."_

" _Don't take my baby from me… Please… Please…" Rebecca begged, becoming hysterically. It was no use._

 _With AJ now in his arms, Carver walked towards the exit. "No support for y'all tonight. Maybe an empty stomach with give you folks some perspective."_

 _Clementine was sure supper was the last thing on anyone's mind._

"Rebecca kept begging him to bring AJ back, but he told her he'd take her to him instead. He… He took her out the pen, but never brought her back…" Clementine explained.

"Holy shit… So how did you guys escape?" Marlon questioned. He knew there was more to this story, something told him Clementine had gone through complete hell.

"We… didn't…" Clementine said. "Well… We did, but not for a while.… It was…"

Marlon noticed the girl seemed to be searching for her next words. "You don't have to say anymore…"

"Thanks… I just… It's hard to talk about…" Clementine said.

"I'm sure. It sounds like a nightmare…" Marlon muttered.

"Worse…" Clementine said.

"I shouldn't have brought it up… Sorry." Marlon apologized, looking guilty.

"Don't worry about it…. We should… try to get some rest." Clementine suggested.

"Yeah, alright. See you tomorrow." Marlon said.

"Goodnight, Marlon."

Clementine headed inside and made her way back to her room. The children were fast asleep. She just hoped she'd be able to get some rest as well. With the kids huddled into one bed, Clementine took on to herself, not wanting to wake them.

She remembered how the twins had both been super persistent that night, asking to sleep on the top bunk. Clementine, of course had refused. It was too dangerous, just the thought of her little four year olds sleeping up there made her nervous. The girls had always been small for their size. They still were. They were still able to fit clothes designed for a three-year old, sometimes even a two-year old.

Clementine laid down and tried to rest. She grabbed her teddy bear and cuddled close to it, hoping she wouldn't have any nightmares.

* * *

Early the next morning, a knock came to Clementine's door. Clementine stirred and looked over to the kids, they were still fast asleep.

Clementine slowly got up and went to answer the door and was surprised to see Marlon.

"Hey, did I wake you?" Marlon asked.

"Uh, don't worry about it…" Clementine said. "What's up? Why are you up so early?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to take a walk with me." Marlon replied.

Clementine was surprised. "This early? Where to?"

"Not far… Rosie wants to tag along too." Marlon said.

Clementine jumped went she spotted the dog beside Marlon. "I… I don't know… What if she bites me?"

"She won't bite you." Marlon said. "Come on, you wanna get over this fear, don't you?"

"Not really… I'd just rather avoid dogs…" Clementine said.

"Come on, Clem… You trust me, don't you?" Marlon asked.

Clementine didn't know why he always asked her that same question. "Trust you… Not her."

"Well, I trust her. That's worth something right?" Marlon asked.

Clementine shrugged.

"She's friendly. Come on…"

Clementine gave in.

"She knows your scent, you can go on and pet her." Marlon urged the girl.

Clementine's eyes widened, and she shook her head.

"It's okay. Just scratch her ears," Marlon said. "She's not gonna bite you."

Hesitantly, Clementine get Rosie a gentle pet on the head before backing away.

"See, she likes you." Marlon said. "Here, you can hold the leash."

"A-Are you sure?" Clementine stammered.

Marlon nodded. "Once you get more comfortable, we won't have to bring the leash."

"O-Okay…" Clementine took the leash.

"Come on." Marlon said.

Clementine gave a nod and they headed outside.

* * *

Taking early morning walks had become an established routine of theirs. Clementine felt like it helped to clear her head.

Laughing and conversing with Marlon was something Clementine enjoyed. By the third day of their walks, Clementine had become comfortable enough around Rosie that she didn't need to be on a leash.

That morning as they took their walk, a bit later than usual, they arrived back just as the others were waking up.

The other kids sent them looks and exchanged whispers.

As they sat down for breakfast the question on everyone's minds arose.

"Where were you two coming from this morning?" Mitch asked.

"Nowhere really. Just walking?" Clementine answered.

"Cool… Did you two talk about anything special?" Mitch asked.

"Like what?" Marlon asked back.

"Anything?" Mitch questioned.

"Umm… No really." Clementine said.

"Oh…" Mitch huffed.

Clementine and Marlon exchanged confused looks.

"Clementine and Marlon sitting in a tree!" Willy suddenly exclaimed.

Clementine felt her cheeks heat up. "W-We're just friends. Knock it off."

"Sure… Friends." Mitch chuckled.

"Enough. You heard her. We're just friends." Marlon said.

"If you say so." Mitch shrugged.

"Well… Vi and I were gonna go fishing later on. Wanna tag along, Clem?" Brody asked.

"Sure." Clementine said.

"Don't go, mommy!" Aleena quickly clutched onto her mother.

Clementine sighed at that. "Leena…"

"No…" Aleena whimpered, holding tighter.

"We're not going anywhere yet, sweetie. Don't worry." Brody said.

Aleena didn't ease up her grip.

"Leena, it's okay… Just finish your food. Mommy's not leaving now." Clementine reassured the girl.

"O-Okay…" Aleena said.

The kids continued their breakfast.

AJ waited until breakfast was over and the twins were playing before asking, "Can I go? Fishing, I mean."

"If you want to. Just promise to stay close to me." Clementine said.

"I will. I promise." AJ said.

"Good."

* * *

Later that day Clementine had gone out with Violet, Brody, and AJ to catch a few fish for dinner.

"You know, I've been thinking, I wish we could all go on a road trip together." Brody said.

Violet scoffed. "Road trip? Why bother? It's not like there's anything worth seeing anyway."

"Oh, c'mon. I'm sure there's a lot to see. Maybe Clem can show us around." Brody said.

"Me?" Clementine asked.

Brody nodded. "Yeah. You're able to get a car working, and drive."

"Barely." Violet said.

"C'mon, Vi!" Brody sighed. "I've never driven in my life, but I'd love to learn."

"Are you sure you trust my driving? I promise I don't usually crash." Clementine half joked.

"Oh, right, on second thought..." Brody chuckled a bit.

"Yeah, I think Clem just totaled the last working car in the world." Violet said.

"You said the car was gone… We're not going back to the car, right?" AJ asked.

"No, bud. It's broken." Clementine said.

"Good. I'm sick of the car." AJ said.

The kids continued walking until a shack came into view.

"Why didn't you bring the twins along?" Brody asked.

"Well... Crystal can't eat seafood. I didn't want to risk her touching it either. But I just figured I'd tag along to help out." Clementine said.

"She can't eat fish?" Brody asked.

"Nope. She's allergic." Clementine said.

"Damn... Well... I'm sure Omar can make her something else to eat." Violet said.

"Aleena too. Anything Crystal can't eat, Aleena refuses to eat." Clementine said.

"Aww... They're already so loyal." Brody said.

"Must be that twin bond." Violet said.

"Yeah. Must be." Clementine said.

Brody walked over to a broken-down truck. "I wish this old rust bucket was still working. We could just jump in and start driving. We could take turns sitting in the back- it'd be like driving one of those cars with the top that goes down!"

"We'd run out of gas eventually." Violet said.

"But still, it's fun to imagine, isn't it?" Brody asked.

Violet rolled her eyes and turned away.

Brody turned to Clementine. "Where would you go, Clem? If you could drive anywhere you wanted, if gas wasn't an issue."

Violet cut in, "Or a busted carburetor, or flat tires, or the transmission-"

"Buzzkill." Brody said.

Clementine thought before answering, "I'd drive up one of those long roads that wind around the mountains. Follow it all the way to the top."

"You could see over the whole world up there, I bet." Brody said with a smile.

"Yeah, you get a nice view while you die from frostbite." Violet said. "Sounds like the dream."

"C'mon, Vi. Will it kill you to live a little?" Brody huffed. "I've lived here my entire life. Heck, I'd say I know every inch of these woods. I'd kind of like to un-know it."

"No use dreaming of what could be. We've got shit to do." Violet said.

"Yeah... I guess we should get to work on those fish." Brody sighed before saying to Clementine, "We've got spears inside the shack. C'mon."

"You go ahead. I'll stay out here." Violet said.

Clementine was confused as to why Violet was acting so cold and stand offish but said nothing. Clementine, Brody, and AJ headed into the shack.

* * *

"Do you like my mommy?"

Marlon stopped what he was doing and looked in Crystal's direction. He wasn't expecting that. "What?"

"Do you like my mommy?" Crystal demanded, eying Marlon suspiciously.

"I... why are you asking me that?" Marlon inquired.

"Because... Because she's ours. You can't have her!" Aleena said.

"Hold on... I'm not trying to take your mom away from you." Marlon told the children.

"Then what are you trying to do?" Crystal asked.

"I… I'm just being her friend." Marlon said.

"You like her!" Aleena said.

"Friends are supposed to like each other-"

"No! Like-like!" Aleena exclaimed.

"I…" Marlon felt his face flush a bit at the question.

"Do you?" Crystal asked.

"I'm not answering that." Marlon quickly replied.

"Why?" Aleena questioned.

"Because I'm not. You kids go play with Tenn or something." Marlon said.

The twins frowned, "But-"

"Go."

The twins pouted but obliged. Marlon sat back with a sigh.

* * *

Clementine didn't know how long they had been out there, but she was glad when she finally caught a fish on her spear.

"Any luck?" Violet asked.

"I got... something." Clementine replied.

Violet looked over. "Good enough for me. Put it in the bucket."

Clementine put the fish in the bucket with the one Violet had already caught. The two continued their fishing.

"Hey, um, sorry if I was weird last night... about the whole room thing. Seeing someone else in there...it was harder than I expected." Violet said. "You'd think I'd be less sentimental by now."

"Don't sweat it. I'm glad we got to know each other." Clementine said.

Violet gave a small smile at that. "Yeah. I guess, I am too."

A silence fell over them again. Clementine smiled when she managed to catch another fish. "Got one."

"Cool." Violet said.

Clementine went to put it in the bucket.

"So, what's going on between you and Marlon?" Violet asked.

Clementine was a bit confused by the question and asked one of her own, "What do you mean?"

"Are you two together or... what?" Violet asked.

"W-What? No... We're just friends." Clementine said.

"Could've fooled me." Violet said.

Clementine's eyes widened, and she sent Violet a look of disbelief. "Really? You thought we were dating."

"I think all the rest of the kids thought so too." Violet replied.

"We're friends, that's it." Clementine said.

"Nothing more? You're not just saying that?" Violet asked.

"No. We're just friends."

"Okay… Good." Violet said.

"Why do you ask?"

Violet shrugged. "Well… I mean, he likes you and I figured maybe you liked him too."

"He doesn't like me." Clementine said. She could feel her heart pounding a bit.

"Of course he does. And I'm sure it's more than a friend kind of like." Violet said.

Clementine looked away. "Vi… Don't say things like that."

"I'm being serious. I'm surprised he hasn't confessed to you. I mean, someone else will if he waits too long." Violet said.

"Like who?" Clementine asked.

Violet didn't answer.

"What about Brody, I think he likes her." Clementine said.

"Him and Brody are good friends." Violet said. "He thinks of you in a different light."

Clementine furrowed her brows and opened her mouth to speak however was interrupted.

"Heads up, guys!" Brody called. "The haul's not looking that great!"

"Uh, yeah okay!" Violet called back before sighing. "Sometimes she just gets on my last nerves."

"Uh... I can tell." Clementine said.

"I mean, it's not like I hate her... I just..." Violet trailed off.

"She definitely thinks you hate her." Clementine said.

Violet huffed in frustration and stabbed her spear into the water. She didn't catch anything. "Looks like they wisened up. Maybe Brody had better luck with the traps."

"I got one!" AJ exclaimed rushing over. "Clem, I got one!"

"Good job." Violet smirked.

"I'll try to catch some more!" AJ said.

"Alright, don't go too far, kiddo." Clementine said.

AJ nodded.

"I don't know what the problem is between us. With Brody... I don't know why it's like this... Why is it so weird? I can never relax around her. It just keeps getting worse." Violet said.

"Maybe... because she never said sorry. About Sophie and Minnie and not being able to save them…" Clementine said.

"She tell you that?"

"More or less." Clementine responded. "She wants to talk about it, you know."

"I just... I feel guilty about the whole thing." Violet said.

"Why?"

"I was supposed to be out with the twins that day. I wanted to work in the green house so I asked Brody to cover for me. But then... I didn't even get say goodbye." Violet explained. "I... I wanted to talk to Brody, to tell her I didn't blame her for what happened. But everytime I tried I was reminded of who we lost. It was easier to just not talk about."

Clementine didn't get to respond before they noticed Brody approaching.

"We should get going." Violet picked up the bucket of fish.

"You guys catch any fish?" Brody asked.

"We caught quite a few. Enough for tonight anyway." Clementine said.

"That's good. We should head back." Brody said.

The others nodded, and they started walking back.

"The Grand Canyon." Violet piped up.

"What?" Brody asked.

"That's where I'd go. If we took a road trip. Start driving until we hit the Grand Canyon." Violet said.

"Yeah. That would be cool." Brody said. She slowed down her pace and whispered to Clementine, "Thanks."

"Hey, slowpokes, you two coming?" Violet called to them.

"Right behind you." Brody said.

* * *

The walk to the school was much less tense than before. Clementine was glad Violet had eased up a bit. She still couldn't help but wonder if what she said about Marlon was true though. She liked Marlon, as a friend. She didn't feel comfortable when it came to relationships...

When they got back to school Clementine went to wash her hands, telling AJ to do the same. During dinner she and the little children sat separate from the others, the four of them eating some ravioli that Omar had heated.

Clementine didn't want to risk Crystal having an allergic reaction.

"Mommy, did you wanna sit with your boyfriend?" Crystal suddenly asked.

"What?" Clementine was surprised by that. "Wh-Who's my boyfriend?"

"Marlon, is he your boyfriend?" Crystal asked.

"No… No… I don't have a boyfriend. He's just a friend… who happens to be a boy." Clementine said.

"But he likes you!" Crystal said.

"Well, yeah… We're friends." Clementine said.

"No… like-like!" Aleena added.

Clementine's eyes widened, and her face flushed. "He does not… Stop it."

"Your face is red." AJ said.

"B-Because I'm hot."

"But it's not hot out here." AJ said. "It's chilly."

"Well… the food made me feel hot." Clementine said.

"I feel fine." AJ said.

"Me too." Aleena said.

"Well… I'm hot, that's all. Finish your food."

The children did as she said going back to eating.

Clementine did the same, trying not to think about Marlon.

* * *

The morning walk with Marlon the next day felt anything but calm. Clementine felt nervous. She had tried to refuse their walk that morning, but Marlon insisted that they talk. Clementine gave in.

"I feel like you been avoiding me since yesterday. Did I do something wrong?" Marlon asked.

"I... No... I'm just had a lot on my mind." Clementine told him.

"You sure you're not upset?" Marlon asked.

"I'm sure. Trust me." Clementine said.

When Marlon suddenly stopped walking, Clementine raised a brow. "Marlon?"

"Clementine…. I've been wanting to talk to you about something." Marlon said.

"What is it?" Clementine already felt nervous. "Are… you okay?"

"I'm good… I just…" Marlon trailed off.

"Marlon?"

"Look, I'm just gonna out and say it." Marlon said. "I like you, Clem."

Clementine felt her heart skip a beat, but she tried to keep it cool. "Duh, we're friends."

"No… I like you more than that…"

The girl swallowed a lump in her throat, feeling her heart pound faster. "O-Oh… What about Brody?"

"Brody?" Marlon asked.

"I…I thought you liked her." Clementine said.

"As a friend… But you… You and me… we could be something. We should be something…" Marlon said.

"Marlon, I do-don't think I can…" Clementine said.

Marlon seemed surprised by her respond. "Why not?" His tone was a bit cold.

"I… don't do relationships." Clementine said. "L-Love is for suckers, remember?"

"It was… But maybe we can make things work." Marlon said.

"I… I can't…" Clementine said.

"What are you scared of?" Marlon asked. "You know I wouldn't hurt you…"

"It's not that… I just…"

"You trust me, don't you?" Marlon asked, voice sounding more manipulative this time.

"I'm… not ready to be with anyone…" Clementine said.

Marlon narrowed his eyes. "Really? So how come you've been playing with my emotions?"

"What?"

"You hang out with me all the time, go on walks with me…" Marlon said.

"Because we're friends… I didn't even know you had feelings for me." Clementine said.

"Of course you knew!" Marlon snapped.

Clementine was shocked when he suddenly snapped at her. "Marlon…"

"You're a fucking liar! A fucking liar!" He growled causing her to flinch.

"I… I'm not! I… I really didn't know…" Clementine said. "Just- Just calm down."

"You don't tell me to calm down!" Marlon retorted, irritably. His fists were balled, and he was moving closer to her, Clementine was a bit worried he might hit her.

"Y-You're going to draw walkers." Clementine said.

"I don't give a damn!" Marlon hissed.

"Marlon-"

Marlon grabbed the girl's wrists, jerking her to his side, her shove her against the tree.

Rosie started barking in the background, Marlon ignored her.

"Let me go..." Clementine tried to keep her voice calm, though she felt nervous.

Clementine tried to yank away, but Marlon tighten his grip. "You think it's okay to treat people like this?!"

"Let me go!" When the girl managed to yank her wrists free she shoved him back. "D-Don't touch me!"

Marlon stood still for a moment, stunned by what had happened.

Rosie continued back, and Marlon seemed to calm down slightly. The look of fear in Clementine's eyes made him feel sick. "We…We're done talking... Let's get back to the school."

Clementine didn't respond. She didn't mean to upset him, she just wasn't ready for a relationship. But the way he had reacted made her feel like she made a mistake in ever trusting him at all.


	4. Chapter 4

When they got back to the school Marlon finally spoke. "Let's... keep what happened this morning to ourselves..."

Clementine just nodded before walking off. She made her way into the building and to the bathroom. Everyone seemed to still be asleep and the sun was just coming up.

Once she got to the bathroom, she took a few deep breaths. She kept debating on if she had done something wrong or not.

She wasn't going to cry, despite feeling that she wanted to. She had no tears to cry. Instead she reached into her jacket and pulled a blade from her pocket. With no hesitation, she cut into her arm, holding back a hiss in pain.

She repeated the action a second time, then a third. She felt no satisfaction, but she stopped herself from cutting anymore. Closing the knife, she shoved it back into her pocket.

She watched the blood drip down her arm for a few moments before sighing. She quickly grabbed some tissue and pressed it against her arm to stop the bleeding.

After this, the girl took a few minutes to compose herself before leaving and heading to her room.

She was expecting the children to be fast asleep. When she opened the door, she spotted AJ sitting on the top bunk. "AJ, what are you doing? Get down from there."

"I'm keeping watch." AJ said.

"What?" Clementine asked.

"Leena was crying..." AJ explained.

"Why?" Clementine questioned.

AJ shrugged. "I think she had a bad dream. And we didn't know where you were. I told her I'd keep watch until you came back, if she went back to sleep."

"But what are you keeping watch for, kiddo?" Clementine asked.

"Monsters... or whoever scares you in your bad dreams." AJ said.

Clementine sighed. "You don't have to do that, AJ. We're safe here."

"I know… But you always say to be careful, so I am." AJ said. "Isn't that good?"

"Yeah, AJ… But we're safe here." Clementine said.

"Okay, but I'll protect you and the twins…" AJ said.

"I appreciate it, kiddo. But if Leena woke you up, you're probably still tired, right?" Clementine asked.

"A little, but it's morning..." AJ said, glancing over to the window.

"That's okay...Everyone else is still sleep. We can rest for a little while longer." Clementine said. "Come on down."

"It's better to keep watch from somewhere high, like this. You can see everything up here." AJ said.

"But it's dangerous. You could fall." Clementine replied.

"I won't fall." AJ said.

"Just come down, please." Clementine said.

AJ sighed. "Okay..."

Clementine waited for the boy to climb down from the top bunk. He took a seat on one of the beds.

"Clem…Were you with your boyfriend?" AJ asked.

Clementine flinched at that. "I don't have a boyfriend."

"Marlon." AJ said.

"He's not my boyfriend." Clementine said.

AJ furrowed his brows. "But... you said he was a boy and your friend."

"Yeah... That's all..." Clementine replied.

"Isn't that a boyfriend?" AJ asked.

"...They're different." Clementine said.

AJ looked confused at that. "How?"

"They just are. Stop asking questions... Go back to sleep..." Clementine said.

"I'm sorry... I... I didn't mean to make you mad." AJ stammered.

"You didn't..." Clementine sighed.

"Oh... I made you sad then?" AJ asked.

Clementine shook her head. "No AJ, don't worry."

"You...sound sad..." AJ noted.

"Why are you sad, mommy?" Crystal's voice was heard.

Clementine looked over to the little girl. "I… I'm not sad, baby. Go back to sleep."

"Was someone mean to you?" AJ asked.

"N-No…" Clementine quickly said.

"What happened? Did you sneak up behind someone and they hit you?" AJ questioned.

"AJ, no. Nothing happened." Clementine sighed. "Just go back to sleep, both of you."

The children exchanged looks but laid down.

"Are you gonna sleep too, Clem?" AJ asked.

"I… yeah… Yeah, I am." Clementine said going to one of the beds and laying down. She curled up on her side and closed her eyes, holding Promise close to her. "Goodnight…"

"Night, Clem…" AJ said.

* * *

Clementine jerked awake, struggling to catch her breath.

She tried to sit up, but small arms were locked around her, Clementine noticed Aleena fast asleep beside her. The little girl must've crawled into her bed while Clementine was sleeping.

Clementine didn't recall falling asleep, but she was sure she hadn't been sleeping long. She was still tired, but she decided to get up regardless.

Clementine nudged her sleeping daughter who whined. "Aleena, let go…"

"N-No…" Aleena muttered.

"Come on…. It's time to get up." Clementine said.

Aleena continued clinging to her mother, not responding.

"Upsie daisy, kiddo. We got to wake Crystal and AJ."

"Okay…" Aleena finally released her grip and sat up. "Are you better now, mama?"

"What do you mean?" Clementine asked.

"I heard you crying. So I came to cuddle you." Aleena said.

"Uh, yeah. All better, baby." Clementine said.

"Good! I love you!" Aleena beamed.

"I love you too." Clementine replied. "Let's wake Crystal and AJ."

"I'll wake them up!" Aleena asked.

"Alright, Leena." Clementine said.

Aleena raced over to the bed Crystal and AJ were resting on. The girl proceeded to jump on the bed and shake the other children awake.

"It's morning! It's morning!" Aleena exclaimed.

AJ groaned. "You're too loud..."

"Mama said wake up!" Aleena shook the boy again.

"Is it time for breakfast?" AJ asked.

"After you guys get up, breakfast is next on the agenda." Clementine said.

"Okay, good." AJ sat up. "Come on, Crystal."

After a few moments and a series of nudges, Crystal got up as well. "Are you still sad, mommy?"

"I... I wasn't sad. I'm fine, Crystal." Clementine said.

"...Okay..." Crystal said.

"Come on. Let's get some food." Clementine urged.

The children nodded.

* * *

They got outside to see the other kids gathering around for breakfast.

Clementine caught sight of Marlon and couldn't help but feel nervous. During breakfast the girl choose to sit at a table separate from the group. After everyone had finished up with their breakfast, Clementine hadn't given a single bite to her oatmeal.

"Mommy, what's the matter?" Crystal asked.

"Nothing, Crystal. I told you everything's fine." Clementine reassured the child.

"But you didn't eat your food, mommy." Crystal pointed out.

"I'm not really hungry right now. You kids can have it." Clementine said.

"Really?" AJ asked.

"Really." Clementine said. "Enjoy it, kiddo."

"Okay. Thanks mom- I mean, Clem." AJ said.

"It's okay, bud… You can call me that if you want." Clementine said.

"Really?" AJ gasped.

Clementine gave a nod.

AJ smiled at that. "Thanks…"

She didn't mind AJ calling her mom, she only didn't have him call her that out of respect of his true parents, but if he wanted to call her mom, she didn't mind.

She sat silently with the children while they finished their breakfast. It wasn't long before someone took a seat beside her.

"You look a bit down." Louis said. "Everything okay, princess."

Clementine rolled her eyes at being called "princess". "I just… got a lot on my mind."

"Want to share?" Louis asked.

Clementine hesitated, "I don't think I do…"

"Mama had a bad dream. She cried last night." Aleena blurted out.

"Leena," Clementine sighed.

"What was it about?" Louis asked.

"Nothing important." Clementine said.

"Well, if it's making you cry, it must be something bad." Louis said.

"I gave her cuddles, now she's better! Right, mama?" Aleena asked her mother.

"Ye-Yeah, baby. I'm hunky dory." Clementine said.

"Okay, good!" Aleena said. "Mama's hunky dory!"

Louis raised a brow. "So, I'm guessing you don't want to talk?"

"There's nothing to talk about." Clementine said.

"Come on, Clem. We're friends. I'm supposed to be a shoulder you can cry on." Louis said.

"I don't want to cry. I just had a silly nightmare. That's it." Clementine responded.

"I'll protect her from whatever she's scared of." AJ spoke up. "So don't worry."

"What are you scared of?" Louis asked.

Clementine groaned. "Nothing… Just stop. Please."

"What about…" Crystal trailed off.

"What about what?" Louis questioned, looking confused.

"The bad man in your dreams, mommy?" Crystal asked.

"He's not real. It's just a dream." Clementine said. "Kids, finish your breakfast."

No one protested. The children went back to eating. Louis, sensing some tension decided to stop talking.

After a while Aleena spoke, "Can I play now?"

"Sure. You got your inhaler?" Clementine asked.

Aleena frowned. "I forgot it."

"I'll get it. Just wait here." Clementine said.

Clementine stood and headed into the school to get her child's inhaler.

Marlon caught sight of the girl and decided to follow. He had noticed that she was avoiding him and had become impatient. He decided to confront her, feeling slightly annoyed. He caught up and called to her, "Clem, we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk to you." Clementine said.

When she tried to walk away, he blocked her path.

"Stop avoiding me." Marlon said without hesitation, his tone intimidating.

Clementine looked away. "I'm getting my daughter's medicine."

"You're acting like you're scared of me." Marlon said, looking annoyed.

"Marlon-"

Marlon cut her off. "It's getting on my nerves."

"I'm not avoiding you..." Clementine claimed.

"Yes, you are." Marlon took a step closer.

And Clementine felt her heart start pounding.

"And another thing, you could stop looking at other guys, you know." He spoke in a harsh tone.

Clementine faltered, "What?"

"I told you how I felt about you. You don't gotta go flaunting around in front of every dude in camp." Marlon said.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Clementine demanded.

"I'm talking about you and Louis. You were with him just now." Marlon replied, crossing his arms.

Clementine shot him a look. "You're telling me not to talk to my friends?"

"No… I'm telling stop flirting with them." Marlon replied.

"What are you talking about? I'm not flirting with anyone. You're being ridiculous. We're not even together." Clementine said.

"So you want to rub it in my face by flirting with Louis right in front of me?!" Marlon snapped.

"We weren't flirting!" Clementine exclaimed.

"Liar!"

Clementine flinched a bit. "I…"

"Don't lie to me." Marlon gripped her wrist.

Clementine winced as he gripped her scarred arm. "M-Marlon, you're hurting me…"

"How do you think I feel when you flirt with Louis in front of me?" Marlon hissed. "That hurts me…"

"I said we weren't flirting."

Clementine tried to pull away. Marlon released her wrist, only to shove the teen against the wall, drawing a gasp from her lips. "Marlon, just-"

Face dark with rage, Marlon cut her off. "Stop lying to me. You know how I feel about you, but you go flirting in front of me…"

"I wasn't-"

"I said, don't lie to me." Marlon said, keeping the girl pinned to the wall.

The girl sent him a fearful look. "M-Marlon-"

Marlon cut her off, stifling her with bruising kiss.

The second his mouth crashed down upon hers, Clementine felt her eyes widened. For a moment she froze. Dark images from her past flashed through her mind. She could feel her heart start to pound as Marlon deepened the kiss.

"Wow..." Violet's voice was suddenly heard.

The sudden voice made Marlon jump slightly. He looked to Violet, breaking the forced kiss with Clementine.

"What's going on here?" Violet asked.

"Everything's fine, Violet. We're just talking." Marlon said with a shrug.

"Looks like you two were doing more than talking." Violet said.

Clementine couldn't bring herself to speak, still shaken up by what had just happened.

Violet's gaze drifted to Marlon's hand which was still gripping Clementine's wrist. "You gonna let her go?

"What?" Marlon asked.

"Her arm. Let her go." Violet ordered.

Marlon huffed but released his grip. "I guess we'll talk later, Clem."

Clementine said nothing as Marlon walked off.

Violet sent the other girl a concerned look. "You okay?"

"Y-Yeah…" Clementine replied.

"What was that all about?"

"I… I don't know… I don't know what's gotten into him." Clementine stammered.

Violet looked concerned and asked, "He didn't hurt you, did he?"

Clementine shook her head.

Violet raised a brow and motioned towards Clementine's arm. "Let me see."

Clementine quickly took a step back. "N-No… I'm fine. Really."

"…If you say so." Violet said. After a moment of silence Violet spoke again. "I think Louis and Aasim are ready to go."

"Okay… Can you tell them I'll be out in a minute? I just gotta get Aleena's inhaler." Clementine said.

"Asthma?"

Clementine nodded.

"That sucks. She's so small… Her and Crystal…" Violet said.

"They've always been small…" Clementine said.

"Yeah, they look more like they just turned three than four..." Violet said.

"They're small, but they're tough kids." Clementine said.

"I'm sure… Look who her mom is." Violet replied.

Clementine gave a small smile, surprised by those words. "Thanks."

"I'll let them know you'll be out soon." Violet said.

Clementine gave a nod. The two girls parted ways.

* * *

Brody had offered to keep an eye on the kids while Clementine, Louis, and Aasim went to check and reset some traps. Clementine was hesitant at first, but gave in, feeling it was safe if the kids stayed at the school.

"So… want me to play a song at your next date?" Louis asked.

Clementine looked to him feeling confused. "What?"

"You and Marlon." Louis said. "I will admit, I'm a little hurt."

"Louis, what are you talking about?" Clementine asked.

"Everyone already figured you two would get together. No point in laying low anymore." Aasim spoke up.

"What are you two talking about?" Clementine asked.

"You two are a thing, aren't you?" Louis asked.

"What?" Clementine was surprised to hear that. "No."

"He said you were." Louis replied.

"When did he say that?" Clementine asked.

"Earlier. Violet asked him why he followed you, and he said it's none of her business what he does with his "girlfriend"." Aasim answered.

"I… I'm not his girlfriend. Marlon's delusional." Clementine stated.

"Oh… so you two aren't together?" Louis asked.

"Not at all." Clementine said. "He… asked me out this morning, I told him no."

"Oh… Well… Maybe he was joking." Louis said.

"I don't think he was." Aasim huffed.

Clementine frowned.

"Come on, let's check these traps." Aasim said.

* * *

Clementine didn't understand why Marlon would lie. She couldn't stop herself from questioning what his problem was.

The fact that she had trusted him and thought of him as a friend made her feel stupid. She felt like he had completely betrayed her trust.

The girl sighed as they continued checking the traps. Eventually they found a baby rabbit, but Clementine couldn't bring herself to kill it, and the boys didn't seem to want to either. She ended up letting it go.

Louis seemed a bit disappointed, but the girl assured him they'd find more food.

They hadn't managed to catch much in the traps, so Aasim suggested they hunt around until they caught something.

They searched for almost an hour, following different animal tracks. Despite how long they searched, they ended up empty handed.

Aasim was in a bad mood about not catching anything. Louis tried to brighten the mood, but Clementine's main focus was making sure her kids were okay.

* * *

When Clementine got back to the school, she went to check on the children.

AJ and Crystal were drawing with Tenn.

The two both showed her the pictures they colored. Clementine smiled. "Those are nice."

"You can have it, mommy." Crystal passed the picture over.

"Thanks, baby." Clementine accepted the picture.

"You can have mine too!" AJ said.

Clementine accepted his picture as well. "Thanks, kiddo."

"You're welcome. Wanna draw with us?" AJ asked.

"Uh, maybe later." Clementine raised a brow. "Where's Aleena?"

"She went with Marlon." Tenn answered.

Clementine's eyes widened. "Shit!"

"Swear…" Crystal said.

Clementine quickly rushed over to Brody who was sitting on the stairs. "Where'd Marlon go?"

"Uh, he said Rosie got out. Went to look for her." Brody explained

"And he took my baby with him?" Clementine inquired.

"Clementine, relax. He didn't take her far." Brody said.

"You promised to watch her! You said you'd keep an eye on her!" Clementine snapped.

Brody was taken aback but snapped back, "Why are you freaking out?! She's fine!"

Clementine shook her head before rushing to the gates.

"Where are you going?" Willy asked.

Clementine didn't respond as she darted out the gates. The fought the urge to call to her daughter as she ran, she didn't want to attract walkers.

When she finally spotted Marlon, she rushed towards him. "Marlon!"

"Oh, Clem, you're back." Marlon said.

"You can't just take my daughter without permission!" Clementine snapped without hesitation.

Marlon looked stunned for a moment before saying, "She said she wanted to help find Rosie."

"She's a little kid! I don't care what she said!" Clementine hissed.

"Relax. She's right here-" Marlon stopped as he looked behind him, only to see the child was no longer by his side. His face fell, "Oh shit…"

Clementine felt her heart drop. Drawing walkers became the last of her worries and she started calling her child's name. "Leena! Aleena!"

"Calm down. You're gonna draw the deadhead right to us with your yelling." Marlon said.

"I need to find my daughter!" Clementine hissed.

"And we'll find her. Just calm down." Marlon replied.

"Don't tell me to calm down! This is your fault!" Clementine snapped.

Marlon seemed annoyed at the accusation. "My fault? I didn't tell the brat to run off."

"She's not a brat." Clementine stopped herself from arguing and began calling her daughter's name over and over while searching around the area.

She was nowhere to be found. Clementine panicked. Her stomach caved in and her heart pounded.

Marlon huffed as the girl continued calling to Aleena. He shot her a look and forcefully grabbed at her arm. "I said stop yelling-"

"MOMMY!" Aleena's voice yelled out.

Clementine quickly broke her arm from Marlon's grip and looked around before rushing to where the yell had come from. Marlon followed after her.

Clementine could hear Rosie barking and soon caught sight of her daughter who was crying. "Aleena! Are you okay?"

Aleena whimpered and rushed to her mother, hugging her.

Clementine picked the little girl up. "Mommy's here. I got you…"

"He…He tried to get me, mama…" Aleena whimpered.

"A monster?" Clementine asked.

To Clementine's surprise Aleena shook her head.

"N-Not a monster… A bad man…"

Clementine paused then asked, "Bad man…? How do you know?"

"He… He talked… Monsters don't talk…" Aleena said. "He told me to come here…"

Clementine felt terrified as she heard her daughter's words. She hugged the tiny girl close. "Which way did he go?"

Aleena just shrugged, tears falling from her eyes as she clung to her mother.

"She okay?" Marlon asked as he caught up.

Clementine didn't answer. Clearly her child was not okay. "Let's get back to the school."

Marlon gave a nod.

Aleena clung to Clementine the entire walk back. Even when they got back to the school, the little girl wouldn't let her go.

Clementine kept telling the child she was safe now. She was upset at Marlon for taking Aleena out there, but she her daughter needed comfort right now.

* * *

Through the rest of the day Clementine stayed close to her kids. Aleena wouldn't leave her side for a minute.

The group had an early dinner, Clementine asked the older kids to talk before they headed to bed, and after she got AJ and the twins settled. They agreed.

Clementine took AJ and the twins to bed. But Aleena was still shaken up by what had happened earlier.

"Leena, I need to talk to you." Clementine said, pulling the child into her lap. "Tell, mommy about the man you saw."

"…He's scary…" Aleena sniffled. "I hate him."

"What did he look like?" Clementine asked.

"I don't know…." Aleena said.

"You don't know?" Clementine repeated.

Aleena shook her head. "He was bad…"

"You said he talked to you? What did he say?" Clementine questioned.

Aleena thought for a moment. "He said… come here…"

Clementine was only getting more confused by the child's recount of events. "Can you tell mommy the whole story?"

Aleena give a nod.

Clementine waited as the little girl was silent for a bit. "Tell me what happened. I won't be mad at you."

"M-Marlon said he couldn't find Rosie and…and he was gonna look for her. I wanted to help, so Rosie wouldn't be lost forever…" Aleena said. "We went looking and looking but we couldn't find her… Then I thought I heard her woofing, so I went to find her. But she was woofing at a bad man… I wanted to run, but he saw me and yelled at me to "come here" … He tried to grab me, but Rosie scared him away… I was scared, mama."

Clementine sighed, "Well, you're safe now. Mommy's here… Don't go off like that anymore, okay?"

"O-Okay…" Aleena said. "Not with Marlon?"

"No… Not with anyone but mommy. Especially not with Marlon." Clementine said. She didn't trust Marlon.

"Okay, mama..." Aleena said.

"Good."

"Mommy, is the bad man gonna come here?" Crystal asked.

Clementine looked over to her. "No… No, he's not."

"Promise?" Aleena asked.

"I promise." Clementine said. "I even pinky swear. That's forever."

"If he comes here, I'll kill him." AJ said.

"AJ…" Clementine sighed.

"What?" AJ asked.

"He won't come here. We're safe. You guys try to sleep." Clementine said.

She held Aleena until the little girl fell asleep. After she laid her daughter down, she stood up.

"Mommy?" Crystal called.

"I'll be right back. Lay with Leena." Clementine said.

Crystal nodded and scooted close to her sister.

"Where are you going?" AJ asked.

"To talk to the other kids." Clementine replied.

"Can I go?" AJ begged. "Please?"

Clementine shook her head. "No bud. You stay here. Make sure the girls are okay."

"Okay. I'll keep watch until you come back." AJ said.

"Alright, bud. But stay off the top bunk, okay." Clementine said.

AJ sighed but nodded. "Okay."

"Thank you."

Clementine made her way to the door and headed outside to find the other kids gather around a fire talking.

"How's Leena?" Louis asked.

"She clung to me until she fell asleep." Clementine said.

"Poor kid…" Violet sighed.

Brody frowned and spoke up, "Clem, I… I didn't know this was going to happen. I know I said I would watch her-"

"It's Marlon's fault." Clementine stopped her.

"What?" Marlon looked over.

"You took her out there without permission." Clementine said.

"You weren't even here." Marlon argued.

"That doesn't make it okay." Clementine huffed.

"Let's not fight… What did you want to talk about?" Ruby asked.

"We need to fortify the walls and stock up on more weapons." Clementine said.

Louis raised a brow. "Where's this coming from queen bee?"

"Marlon said no one was out here, but Aleena was nearly grabbed by some guy earlier." Clementine said.

"You sure it wasn't a walker?" Mitch asked.

"Positive. Aleena said he spoke. He must've run off when he heard the dog barking and me calling for her."

"Did… Did she see who it was?" Brody asked.

Clementine shook her head.

"How didn't she see him if he grabbed her? Did he have a mask or something?" Ruby asked.

"Why would anyone wear a mask these days? Not like there's any banks to rob." Mitch said.

Clementine felt a surge of anger run through her. "You think this is funny? Some guy tries to grab my kid, and you're making jokes?"

"Calm down. I don't think it's funny." Mitch replied.

"You sure as hell act like it." Clementine said.

"You said she's okay though…" Ruby said.

"She's not hurt… She was just freaked out… Didn't let me put her down." Clementine said.

"Look, it's was probably just a deadhead. I say we go to bed. It's late, and everyone's tired." Marlon said.

"Marlon's right." Brody said.

"No… He's not. No one's taking what I'm saying seriously." Clementine said.

Brody walked over to the girl placing a hand on her shoulder. "Clem, we are… Just-"

"Don't touch me!" Clementine huffed. "That man could've hurt my baby, and no one here cares."

"Clem, don't be like that." Brody said. "We do care."

"Goodnight…" Clementine said, turning to head back inside.

"Clementine, wait." Marlon called.

Clementine turned to walk away.

"Marlon leave her alone." Violet watched her go, letting out a sigh. She wanted to go after the girl, but she felt it was best to give her some space.

"Mind your business." Marlon said.

He caught up with the girl and grabbed her arm.

"So what, you want to leave?" Marlon asked the girl.

"What if I do?" Clementine asked, tugging away.

"Nobody leaves. It's safe here." Marlon said.

"It's not your choice." Clementine said.

"We took you in. You can't just up and leave whenever you feel like it." Marlon replied.

"And why the hell not?" Clementine questioned. "You're going to try to hold me hostage."

"You can't leave because who knows who the hell, you'll lead back to us." Marlon snapped.

"There's no one for me to lead back. Besides, why would I go through that trouble?" Clementine replied.

Marlon grabbed at her arm again, but Clementine slapped his hand away.

"Don't touch me." Clementine said.

"Or what?" Marlon tested.

"Or I'll… make you regret it." Clementine said.

Marlon shook his head at that but didn't touch the girl. "Just be glad your daughter's okay. Things could've been a lot worse."

The girl simply glared at him. "Keep your damn hands off me."

With that she walked away, leaving the others outside.


	5. Chapter 5

Clementine laid in bed wondering what she should do. She didn't want to leave the school. Despite not being there too long, she felt close with some of the other kids. Not to mention it was nice to not be on the road for once.

The girl flinched when she heard a knock at the door. Letting out a sigh she said, "Come in…"

The door slowly opened, and Violet stepped into the room. "Hey, are you doing okay?"

"For the most part…" Clementine said. "I figured everyone had gone to bed by now…"

"I just wanted to check on you…" Violet said.

"I'm okay…" Clementine replied.

"You sure? Louis and I were both worried about you…" Violet told her.

"Louis? Where's he?" Clementine asked.

"Told him head to bed. He wanted to come, but I told him it was rude to go into a girl's room this late at night." Violet said. "He was bummed."

Clementine gave a small smile. "Thanks for checking on me. I appreciate you guys."

"Of course, Clem." Violet said. "…How's Aleena?"

"She's okay… Didn't have any bites on her…" Clementine said.

"That's good. And I think fortifying the walls is a good idea." Violet said.

Clementine scoffed, "Well, you're the only one. No one else seems to think so."

"They're being stupid. I think we should." Violet said.

Clementine just shrugged, taking a seat on her bed. Violet hesitantly sat beside her. Violet noticed a stuffed animal and picked it up.

"Cute toy."

"Thanks… His name is Promise…" Clementine said.

Violet raised a brow and asked, "Promise? How'd you think of that name?"

"He was broken… like me…" Clementine shrugged.

Violet didn't know what to say to that. "Broken?" She echoed as she placed the bear down.

Clementine simply nodded.

"Why do you think you're broken?" Violet asked the other girl.

Clementine didn't answer for a moment. "Because I am… You don't know me that well, Vi."

"Well, let me get to know you… We're friends here. So stop pushing me away." Violet said.

"Vi…"

"Stop pushing everyone away… What are you afraid of?" Violet questioned.

"I'm not afraid of anything…" Clementine claimed.

Violet decided to ask a different question. "Is there something going on between you and Marlon?"

"What?"

"You've been acting differently… Both of you have." Violet said. "What are you two?"

"At this point, I don't think we're anything." Clementine answered with a sigh.

"What happened to "just friends"?" Violet asked.

Clementine shrugged. "…Things changed, like they always do."

"Did you two get into a fight?"

"You could say that?" Clementine said.

"Yet I saw you two making out yesterday." Violet hummed.

"That's not what you thought…" Clementine retorted.

"Then what was it?" Violet asked.

Clementine looked away. "I don't see how it's your business…"

"Fine, whatever. I was just curious…" Violet said.

"…He keeps trying to make people think he's my boyfriend. I don't have a boyfriend." Clementine said.

"I thought he was your boyfriend. You two spend so much time together. And when I saw you kissing... well, he looked like a boyfriend to me." Violet replied.

"Marlon and I are not together. We never were and never will be." Clementine said.

"Okay…. I shouldn't have brought it up…" Violet said.

Clementine didn't bother responding.

Violet sighed and started to stand. "I should… let you get some rest…"

Clementine quickly grabbed her friend's hand. "Stay…"

Violet was surprised, "Are…Are you sure."

Clementine gave a nod, slowly releasing her grip. "Please…"

"If that's what you want." Violet said.

"Yeah…"

Violet raised a brow, "Something's bothering you."

"I'm just… thinking about leaving." Clementine admitted.

"But it's not safe out there."

"I know… But it might not be too safe here either…" Clementine said.

"If this is about Marlon, just ignore him…" Violet said. "No one wants you to leave, Clem…"

"I don't want to leave either..."

"Then don't." Violet stated.

Clementine shook her head, things weren't that simple. "I got to do what's best for my kids though…"

Violet sighed at that. "What's best for your kids isn't taking them out into the wild. This place is safe. You just need to calm down, and you'll feel better."

"Maybe…" Clementine muttered. "We should try to sleep."

"Right…" Violet stood. "I'll uh, take the top bunk."

Clementine nodded.

The two settled into bed.

"Night, Vi."

"Sleep tight, Clem."

* * *

Violet did as Clementine had asked and stayed in the room. She couldn't help but worry about Clementine, the girl seemed under a lot of stress.

Violet couldn't imagine how hard things must've been for her before she arrived at the school. The blonde sighed and closed her eyes, trying to fall asleep.

A whimper reached her ears, forcing her eyes back open. When quiet filled the room again, she thought maybe it was just her imagination, but a couple more whimpers followed. It took Violet a moment a register that those whimpers were coming from Clementine.

"Clem?" She called, but her voice fell on deaf ears. The other teen must've been having a nightmare. The girl debated on waking Clementine, but as the whimpers continued Violet made up her mind. She carefully climbed down from the bunkbed and began to nudge Clementine away.

Clementine flinched, her eyes opened, and her heart pounded.

"Hey, it's okay…" Violet said. "You just had a bad dream."

Clementine took a minute to catch her breath, before glancing over to the kids.

"They're fine. Don't worry." Violet said, following her gaze.

Clementine sighed in relief. "I'm glad I didn't wake them… And I'm sorry I woke you…"

"You didn't. don't worry." Violet said. "…You okay?"

"I'm… fine…" Clementine said.

"Want to talk about that dream of yours?" Violet suggested.

Clementine shook her head. "I can't… I'm sorry."

"Don't sweat it. You don't have to talk about it if it brings bad memories." Violet said. "…Wait here, I'll get you some water."

"You don't have to…" Clementine said.

"I want to. Just sit tight." Violet said.

"Thanks, Violet…"

Violet gave a nod. She headed out the room and went to get Clementine some water. As she walked towards the kitchen, she spotted Marlon pacing alone in the hall. "What are you doing?"

Marlon jumped. "You scared the shit outta me."

"Sorry." Violet replied before noting how anxious he seemed. "Something wrong?"

"Uh… Don't worry about it." Marlon said.

Violet shrugged, "Okay then…"

"What are you doing up?"

"Getting Clem some water…" Violet answered.

Marlon seemed to freeze for a minute. "Clem?"

"She had a nightmare…" Violet said.

Marlon frowned at that. "Shit… What about?"

"Not too sure…" Violet replied. "Look…. I don't know what's going on with you two, but she clearly upset and she's had hard past..."

"I know..." Marlon muttered.

"So you should apologize to her." Violet said.

"Apologize for what?" Marlon demanded.

"For whatever you did to upset her." Violet replied.

"She won't even talk to me. She's been ignoring me." Marlon frowned.

"Because you upset her. Quit being so stubborn and own up to it. You're sending a message to her that you can't be trusted." Violet said.

"I want her to trust me..." Marlon said.

"At this point she's scared to trust anyone. I don't know what she's been through, but… it was obviously something awful. And whatever is going on between you two is freaking her out more." Violet replied.

"I… I didn't mean to."

"Well, tell her that." Violet said. "Stop being stubborn and apologize. You can't do whatever you want and to hell with everyone else. You have to consider other people's feelings sometimes."

Marlon sighed, he knew Violet was right. "I'll… apologize."

"Good." Violet said, before walking pass him to get her friend water.

When Violet returned to Clementine's room, she was shocked to see Clementine. The girl was clinging to her teddy bear as if her life depended on it.

"Uh… I brought you some water." Violet said.

Clementine didn't respond for a moment, didn't even look to her.

"Come on, Clem… Just drink a little."

Violet forced the cup into the other girl's hand. That seemed to snap Clementine out of her daze.

Clementine blinked a time or two and uttered out a small, "Wh-What?"

"I said I'd get you water." Violet reminded.

"Oh…I… T-Thanks, Vi…" Clementine accepted the cup of water, taking a sip.

"No problem..." Violet said.

Clementine placed the cup on the nightstand. "You don't have to stay in here if you don't want to."

"I'll stay as long as you want me to…" Violet told her. She didn't mind. She enjoyed being around Clementine.

Clementine gave a small smile. "I appreciate it."

Violet nodded. "Need anything else?"

"No…" Clementine said. "Why… Why are you being so nice to me?"

Violet was confused by the question. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I don't deserve it." Clementine said.

"Don't say that. You do." Violet said. "Anyway, I care about you, so I'll do what I can to help you."

"Thank you, Violet." Clementine said.

"Stop thanking me." Violet said. "Let's try to rest up."

Clementine nodded and placed her cup down. "Violet,"

"Yeah?" Violet paused, having been about to climb to the top bunk.

"Can... Can you lay with me...? Just for a little bit." Clementine quietly asked.

Violet was surprised by the request. "Umm..."

"I'm...just used to sleeping with someone else near me... I don't want to wake the kids so..." Clementine trailed off.

Violet didn't know how to respond.

Clementine instantly regret asking that. She felt she had made thing awkward. "I'm sorry... F-Forget I asked."

"No..." Violet shook off her surprise. "It's okay, I'll lay with you."

"Really?" Clementine asked.

"Sure, why not." Violet said. "Scoot over."

Clementine did so, and Violet climbed into the bed.

Violet made sure to keep her distance. She was glad to keep Clementine company, but the fact that she was laying beside the girl made her feel a bit flustered.

"Kind of feels like a sleepover." Clementine commented, pulling Violet out her thoughts.

"Yeah… I guess it does…" Violet felt a bit more comfortable upon hearing that. She liked Clementine, she wouldn't deny that, but she was sure Clementine had an interest in Marlon. Seeing them kiss had hurt her

"…Thanks for being here." Clementine said.

"Of course, Clem… Night." Violet said.

"Goodnight." Clementine said.

* * *

The next morning when Clementine woke, she was a bit surprised to see Violet sleeping beside her. She quickly remembered asking the other girl to lay with her, and her face flushed in embarrassment. She felt pathetic… She just wished her nightmares would stop.

The girl sighed, she wanted nothing more than to stay in her room all day. However, she needed to make sure the kids were fed once they woke, which meant she'd have to leave and face the other kids. She felt sick to her stomach. She didn't want to see them after last night. Especially not Marlon.

Still feeling tired, she tried to will herself to sleep, haven't stay up most the night, but she couldn't drift off no matter how much she tried. Eventually she decided there was no point in trying to sleep, the kids would be up soon. After what happened yesterday, she kept wondering if staying at the school was a good idea. It didn't seem as safe as she hoped.

Aleena was the first to wake up. "Mama?"

"I'm right here, baby." Clementine said.

Aleena slowly climbed from her bunk with a slight struggle and made her way over to where her mother. "Violet's here?" Aleena asked, looking surprised.

"Uh, yeah… She is…" Clementine said a bit awkwardly.

"Why's Violet here with you? I wanted to sleep with you, mama…" Aleena said.

"You can lay with me for a little while now, Leena." Clementine replied.

"But it's morning. It's not night-night time anymore." Aleena pouted.

"I know, baby… But you can still lay with me until the others wake up." Clementine said.

Aleena brightened at that. "Okay! Did you want cuddles, mama?"

"Sure, Aleena." Clementine said.

Aleena beamed and climbed into the bed with some help from her mother.

Clementine hugged the small child, careful not to wake Violet she asked quietly, "Feeling better, Aleena?"

"Uh-huh. I'm not scared anymore…" Aleena said.

"That's good." Clementine said.

"Are you scared, mama?" Aleena asked.

"No, I'm okay… Mommy just needs time to think." Clementine responded.

"Oh… Think about what?"

"Everything…."

"Everything, like what?" Aleena wondered.

Clementine sighed and decided to change the subject. "Want to hold Promise for a little while?"

Aleena quickly nodded.

Clementine handed the bear over.

Violet shifted slightly, before groaning, "You two always up this early…?"

Both Clementine and Aleena jumped a bit.

"Violet! Did you sleeped in here all night?" Aleena asked.

"Yeah, I did." Violet answered as she sat up.

"She slept in here Not sleeped." Clementine corrected her daughter before looking to Violet. "Anyway, I'm not a morning person, but I couldn't really sleep." Clementine said.

"Why couldn't you sleep, mama?" Aleena asked.

"I had a lot on my mind, Leena." Clementine said.

"Still thinking about leaving?" Violet asked.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't." Clementine said.

Aleena looked confused. "Why?"

"Why what?" Clementine asked.

"Why do we have to leave? I like it here." Aleena said.

"I know… I'm just thinking about If we should stay or not."

"But- But why?" Aleena asked. "I…I don't wanna leave."

"It's not for sure yet." Clementine said.

"I wanna stay here with our friends!" Aleena exclaimed.

"Aleena, not everyone is your friend." Clementine said to her daughter.

Aleena frowned at that. "Why?"

"Because people change… Sometimes people act nice, but it's not for real. It's just pretend." Clementine said.

"But that's called lying! You say always tell the truth." Aleena said.

"I did, but some people don't…" Clementine explained.

"I don't wanna leave our friends! That's mean!" Aleena exclaimed.

"Aleena-"

The small child shook her head, crossing her little arms. "No!"

"Why are you yelling?" AJ spoke up with a groan, rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"Mommy wants to leave. I don't wanna leave." Aleena said.

"Leave where? I don't want to live in the car anymore." AJ sounded almost worried. "Can't we stay?"

"The car's gone, guys…" Clementine said.

"Where would we go then?" AJ asked.

"I don't wanna go!" Aleena said.

"Do we have to leave?" AJ asked.

Clementine sighed, "I don't know yet… but no matter what happens, we're going to be okay, I'll make sure of that."

"Okay…" The two children said.

"What if the bad man comes here?" Crystal's voice piped in.

"He won't. He won't dare…" Clementine said.

"If he does… We'll fight back. Us against him… He won't stand a chance." Violet said.

"Okay… Good." Crystal said.

"Come on, let's get some breakfast." Violet suggested.

Clementine fought the urge to bury her head under the pillow. She forced her tired body out of bed and followed Violet and the little children outside.

Aleena seemed to have calmed down from the incident yesterday. The child was back to her chipper self, and no longer clinging as much to Clementine.

"Morning." Violet greeted the other kids as they made it outside.

"Hey, Vi. I came to wake you for breakfast, but you weren't in your room." Tenn said.

"I know. I was with Clem." Violet replied.

"Oh?" Mitch spoke up in a teasing tone. "What were you two doing?"

"What do you think?" Violet asked. "We were sleeping."

"Together?" Mitch smirked. "In the same bed?"

"What does it matter?" Clementine asked.

"You sure that's all you did?" Mitch asked.

Violet rolled her eyes. "Okay, you caught us. We were having a make out session."

"Uh…" Mitch didn't know how to respond.

Clementine's eyes widened. "Violet!" She exclaimed.

Violet chuckled at bit seeing the shocked expressions of the older kids and the confused expressions of the younger ones. Marlon choked on the cup of water he was drinking, sending the girls incredulous looks. "Relax, I'm joking."

"Well… it wasn't very funny." Louis spoke up.

"For once, I agree with Louis. You shouldn't joke like that." Ruby said.

"Exactly. Now, if I made the joke, I'm sure it would've been awesome." Louis said.

Clementine shot him a look while Ruby shook her head in disapproval.

Violet didn't even respond, instead she simply asked, "What's for breakfast?"

"Leftover soup. I just reheated it." Omar asked.

Assim cleared his throat, "I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but we didn't get nearly enough food yesterday. If we don't send some people out, we'll be going without dinner tonight."

Marlon sighed. "Alright, we'll have a couple people head out."

"Vi and I can hit the river again. We set some fish traps up a couple days ago. I'm sure we caught something." Brody said.

"We still have some canned food left." Omar said.

"Some isn't enough for everyone. And what are we gonna do when it gets colder? Once it starts snowing?" Aasim asked.

Willy looked concerned. "Are we gonna freeze to death?"

"No, moron." Marlon groaned.

"Are we gonna starve to death?" Willy now asked.

"No. I won't let that happen." Marlon said.

"We're gonna have to go further from the safe zone." Clementine spoke up.

Marlon sent her a look. "No one leaves the safe zone. No one."

"And why not?" Clementine inquired.

"Because I said so." Marlon said.

"That's not a reason." Clementine argued.

"Well, it's the reason you're getting. I don't have to explain myself to you." Marlon replied.

"And I don't have to listen to you." Clementine shot back.

"It's too dangerous, Clem. It's bad out there." Brody spoke up.

"It's not any better staying here and starving to death." Clementine argued.

"We'll catch some fish, and hunt in the area. We're not gonna starve." Brody said.

"You guys aren't thinking long term. What about when winter hits?" Aasim said.

"We'll deal with it then." Marlon replied.

"We can't just deal with everything last minute, Marlon." Aasim said.

"Maybe Clem's right… We're gonna run out of food eventually." Louis said. "Why not look for more farther out?"

"Because it's not safe! We're not making this an argument." Brody said.

"You two are turning it into an argument. It doesn't have to be one." Clementine said. "It's the solution to not starving."

"You've been here for less than two weeks; don't think you get to call the shots now." Brody said. "Marlon knows what he's doing."

"Does he now?" Clementine scoffed.

"Enough!" Marlon snapped before taking a deep breath. "No one leaves the safe zone, period… Everyone just finish your breakfast. We can have some people head out before noon."

The group fell silent and proceeded to eat breakfast.

* * *

Breakfast was quiet, awkward in fact. Clementine felt completely uncomfortable. After the meal came to an end, she allowed the kids to go play while she thought to herself.

Louis approached Clementine, taking a seat beside her and asking her if she was okay.

"I'm fine, Louis… Thanks for worrying about me." Clementine said.

"Oh, uh…sure." Louis said. "I'm just glad you're okay. And don't worry about Marlon, he gets like that sometimes."

"Believe me, I know… They're both being unreasonable." Clementine said.

"Well hopefully we catch a lot hunting today." Louis said.

"Hopefully…" Clementine nodded.

"How's Aleena doing?" Louis asked, looking over to the younger kids who were coloring with Tenn.

"She's fine. Much better than yesterday." Clementine said.

Louis turned back to Clementine and offered a smile. "Good. I'm glad."

"Me too." Clementine said. "Louis…"

"Yeah?"

Clementine was quiet for a moment, slipping her hand into his. "Thanks for being here…"

Louis was a bit surprised. "Anytime you need me."

Clementine gave a small smile.

"And don't worry, you can hold my hand anytime you like, for as long as you want." Louis added.

Clementine's face flushed at that and she quickly release her grip. Pulling her hand away. "Sorry."

"What for? I told you I don't mind." If he had it his way, he'd hold her hand all day… He was disappointed that she pulled away.

Clementine noted his hurt expression and she found herself fidgeting. She looked off to the side to hide her embarrassment. Her hand was still tingling from the feel of his warm fingers. "Stop joking, Louis."

"Who says I'm joking?" Louis asked.

Clementine looked to him, still unable to tell if he was being serious or not.

"I just want you to know you can talk to me…" Louis said.

"I know…" Clementine said.

"Good… So what's bugging you?"

"Nothing…" Clementine fibbed.

"Clem…"

"I'm just tired, Louis. That's it." Clementine stated. That wasn't a lie, she was tired, though that wasn't what was bothering her.

"I feel the opposite of tired when I look at you." Louis said.

Clementine was taken aback by his statement and open her mouth to respond but was stopped as he took hold of her hand again. Louis' eyes had yet to leave her.

Clementine started to pull away again.

"Please?" He said quietly, refusing to relinquish her hand as he gripped a little tighter.

Clementine looked into his eyes and felt herself being drawn in. She allowed him to hold her hand. She actually enjoyed it.

Suddenly Louis frowned causing Clementine to raise a brow. "What's with the face? Something bothering _you_?" The girl asked.

Louis seemed hesitant to speak, "I… It's just I waited so long to meet someone I really liked and when I finally do, not one, but two of my best friends are also into her."

Clementine's eyes widened for a moment, but she tried to hide her shock. "W-Who… do you like?"

Louis sent her a look, "Come on, Clem. I'm not joking…"

Clementine was quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"I…" Clementine trailed off as she noticed Marlon approaching.

"Clem, can we talk?"

Louis noticed the girl tense up. "You alright…"

"I'm…fine." Clementine said, pulling her hand from his.

"Please…" Marlon said. "It won't take long…"

Clementine looked to him and gave a hesitant nod. "Okay…"

Clementine stood and followed Marlon away from the others earshot. They stood by the entrance of the school.

Marlon spoke in a serious voice, "First off... I figured I should apologize for how I acted the other day..."

Clementine paused, searching his expression. "How do I know you mean it?"

Marlon paused for a moment. "…You're not making this apology thing easy for me."

"As far as I can tell you haven't tried yet."

"Well, let me now." Marlon replied. His expression was open. "I'm sorry for being a total jerk, but I haven't been in a good place... There's so much going on..."

"I understand that… But that doesn't make everything okay…"

"I know…" Marlon said. "I just… thought maybe we could be something…"

"I liked our friendship. You want us to be something more, but I don't want that. I'm sorry." Clementine said.

"Well maybe we could be friends again... I won't push the dating idea..." Marlon replied.

Clementine just lowered her gaze.

"Okay… Just… think about it, okay…?" Marlon said.

"…Okay…"

There was short silence.

"…I wanted to ask you something too…" Marlon spoke up.

"What is it?" Clementine asked.

"When you rejected me, you said you weren't interested in dating anyone... Was that the truth or... did you reject me for him?"

Clementine took a moment to process Marlon's words. "I didn't reject you for anyone." Clementine countered.

"So, you're not dating anyone here?" Marlon asked.

"You're talking about Louis, aren't you?" Clementine questioned with a frown.

"Louis. Or anyone else." Marlon said.

"Louis and I are friends. I'm not dating anyone..." Clementine said.

"You wouldn't lie to me, right?" Marlon asked. "You two looked pretty friendly earlier. Just give me an honest answer…"

"I told you already, Marlon. What more do you want from me? After everything that happened… I don't want to date anybody…." Clementine said.

Remorse filled his eyes. "I'm sorry… I was upset, I just... wanted to be good enough to make you happy... and I thought you..." He trailed off.

"That I was using you? That I betrayed you?" Clementine asked.

"Yes..." He frowned. "I just… really care about you. I don't want you hating me." Marlon seemed genuine

"I care about you too, Marlon...Clementine said. "I don't hate you, Marlon.

"You don't?"

"No. I don't."

"I'm glad." Marlon said. "So… Am I forgiven?"

"Yeah… I forgive you." Clementine nodded.

"Good…" Marlon said. "I need you to be on my side. What you were saying earlier, about leaving the safe zone, that can't happen, it's too dangerous."

"We gotta take risk sometimes, Marlon." Clementine said.

Marlon furrowed his brows. "So, you weren't just going against me because you were pissed, you were being serious about that?"

"We need food, one way or another." Clementine said. "It has nothing to do with me being angry at you or not."

Marlon narrowed his eyes. "I said it before, and I'll say it again, no one leaves the safe-zone."

"Mar-"

Marlon ignored her turning on his heels to walk away. "And quit flaunting around in front of everyone!" He called back before walking away.

Clementine didn't know how to react. Marlon's apology had felt so sincere, but he was suddenly angry with her again. She didn't understand him.

* * *

In need of supplies some of the group members set out after breakfast. Clementine agreed to tag along but brought AJ and the twins as well.

No one really minded. Clementine was an asset when it proved to getting food and supplies, and the little kids weren't a problem.

"How are you feeling, Leena?" Brody asked.

"Umm… I'm hunky dory!" Aleena exclaimed.

Louis chuckled a bit at that.

"Hunky dory means she's good." Crystal piped up.

"That's great." Brody replied. "I'm glad nothing bad happened."

"So am I…" Clementine said. A moment passed before she felt a tug on her jacket. Clementine looked down to see Aleena gripping her jacket. "What's wrong?"

"…I want you to carry me…" Aleena said.

"Carry- Aleena, you can walk." Clementine said.

"I don't wanna! My foots hurt." Aleena whined.

"I thought you said you were hunky dory." Louis said.

"I was, but my foots hurt now." Aleena said.

"Quiet down, both of you." Aasim said.

"My foots hurt! Carry me, please, mama!" Aleena continued tugging her mother's jacket.

"Your feet hurt already?" AJ asked.

"Yes…" Aleena whimpered.

"Mine don't." AJ said.

"Enough." Aasim said. "All that noise is gonna bring the walkers."

Aleena pouted at him before looking to Crystal. "Crystal… Do your foots hurt?"

"A little." Crystal shrugged.

"Mine hurt more than a little. I need mama to carry me…"

"Aleena…" Clementine groaned.

"I can carry her." Louis offered.

"Really? Yay!" Aleena cheered. "Can he, mama?"

Clementine thought for a moment then shook her head. "N-No… Mommy will carry you."

Louis raised a brow. "But you said- uh, nevermind… Let your mom carry you, Leena."

"But I want Lou-Lou to carry me." Aleena said.

"Lou-Lou?" Louis repeated.

Aleena nodded, and the others snickered.

"It suits you, Lou-Lou." Violet joked.

"Why can't Lou-Lou carry me, mama?" Aleena asked.

"Because she doesn't think I'm strong enough, that it, Clem?" Louis asked in a joking manner.

"Are you?" Crystal asked.

Louis looked to the little child. "You don't think so?"

"I don't know." Crystal said.

"Please. You're like two or three, I can carry you and your sister." Louis said.

"I'm four! Me and Leena are four." Crystal corrected.

"Could've fooled me. You two are so tiny." Louis said.

"I'm not tiny. I'm a big girl, right mommy?" Crystal said.

"You are a big girl, but you're still little, baby." Clementine said.

"Like your mommy. It must run in the family." Louis smirked.

Clementine rolled her eyes.

"I'm a big girl too." Aleena said.

Clementine looked to the child, "Big girls walk, even when their feet hurt a little bit."

"They don't hurt a little bit, they hurt a lot a bit." Aleena said.

"Alright, I'll carry you for a little while." Clementine picked the tiny child up.

"I want a big while." Aleena said.

Clementine sighed, "Fine. Whatever."

They continued walking in silence for a bit before Brody spoke up.

"Okay. We'll split up. You guys check the traps and we'll try to catch some fish." Brody said.

"Sounds good." Aasim said.

"I wanna go with Violet." Aleena said, reaching towards the blonde teen.

"With me?" Violet asked.

Aleena nodded. "Yes, please."

"I want you to stay with mommy…" Clementine said, tightening her grip on the child slightly.

The little girl sent her puppy dog eyes. "Please….?"

"Clem, it's no big deal. We're going to meet at the same spot after. I'm not gonna kidnap your kid." Violet said.

"It's not that…" Clementine muttered.

"Well, I'm not Marlon." Violet said. "I won't let her out of my sight."

Clementine still seemed hesitant. "…Okay. Okay, you be good… Listen to Violet." Clementine said, gently placing the girl on her feet.

Aleena nodded, taking Violet's hand.

"Be careful." Clementine said.

"Will do." Violet said.

With that Violet Brody, and Aleena headed towards the river.

Clementine couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. She wasn't used to being separated from any of the kids. And after yesterday, she felt even more worried.

Sensing her mother's nervousness, Crystal took her hand.

"Are you okay?" Louis asked, noting Clementine's expression.

"I'm fine…" Clementine said.

"She's the youngest?" Louis asked.

"Huh?" Clementine replied.

"Out of the twins?" Louis said.

"Uh, yeah. How can you tell?" Clementine wondered.

"I just can." Louis shrugged. "How far apart?"

"Maybe seven or eight minutes… She didn't want to come out. I didn't even know I was having twins." Clementine said.

"Must've been scary." Louis commented.

Clementine nodded. "It was…"

"Why was it scary?" AJ asked.

"Well… I didn't know how to be a mom…" Clementine said. "I… just wanted to make sure my babies were okay. Your mom was nervous too when she was pregnant with you."

"I… don't remember my mom…" AJ said.

"I know… But I'm here for you." Clementine said.

"Thanks. I'm here for you too." AJ said.

Clementine smiled at that. "I know you are, buddy."

"So… the girls' father… did he abandon you or something?" Louis asked.

Clementine kept quiet and for a few moments Louis thought she wouldn't respond. She finally spoke, "…I don't want to talk about him. They don't need a father."

"Umm… sorry I asked." Louis rubbed the back of his neck, wearing a frown.

"Let's just check these traps." Clementine said.

They continued walking until they caught sight of a walker stuck in one of the snares.

Louis chuckled, "Check this guy out! He's like a walker pinata!" Louis went forward and used his weapon to point the walker a few times.

Aasim huffed, "Cut it down, fix the snare, and let's go."

"I will, I will… Eventually." Louis said.

Aasim just turned to walk away, pausing briefly to speak with Clementine. "If you want food for the kids, I could use a hand. Or you can mess around with this idiot and starve. It's up to you." With that the older boy walked off.

"Or you can starve." Louis mocked. "So dramatic…"

AJ seemed to take interest in the walker Louis was messing with and stood by the teen to watch. Clementine sighed.

"Are we gonna starve, mommy?" Crystal asked.

"Of course not." Clementine said.

"But will we have enough food to feed me, and Leena, and AJ, and you?" Crystal asked.

"Yeah, baby. I'll do whatever I can to make sure you're all okay." Clementine said. That helped her decide to go help Aasim. She didn't have time to play, especially knowing how little food they brought back yesterday. "Let's go help Aasim."

Clementine led her daughter over to where Aasim was checking some traps. "Need a hand."

"Sure thing. Thanks for taking this shit seriously." Aasim said. "I'll never understand that idiot."

"He's not that bad..." Clementine said.

"Why do you say that? Because he acts like a clown and make you laugh?" Aasim asked.

"I'll admit, sometimes he does... need to tone it down a bit, but he is fun to hang out with." Clementine said.

"Maybe you just got a knack for handling small children." Aasim scoffed.

Clementine sighed.

"Better watch yourself, Clem. Messing around with him will get you in trouble." Aasim said.

"Louis is a good guy. He doesn't mean any harm." Clementine said.

"He doesn't mean harm, but he needs to grow up. Anyway, you seemed pretty upset with him when he asked about the twins' father." Aasim said.

Clementine frowned. "It's... a sensitive topic. I've told everyone before I didn't want to talk about that."

"Mommy... What's a father?"

"It's nothing, Crystal…" Clementine said.

Aasim was surprised by the child's question. "They don't even know what a father is?"

"They never had one before, they don't need one." Clementine said.

"What if… I want one?" Crystal asked.

"You have mommy... You don't need a dad." Clementine said.

"But why?" Crystal asked.

"Because I said so..." Clementine replied.

Aasim decided to change the subject feeling a bit uncomfortable. "How about I chase the animals out of the bushes and you shoot."

"Alright." Clementine agreed.

"It looked like one of the rabbits had some babies a while ago. I'm not sure how many are still around, so careful where you shoot. Aim for the parents." Aasim said.

Clementine gave a nod.

Crystal frowned. "Are you gonna shoot the bunnies?"

"We have to get food somehow, Crys..." Clementine said.

"I don't want to see..." Crystal said.

"It's okay... You don't have to..." Clementine understood that it was a hard thing to look at. She didn't blame her daughter from not wanting to witness it. As tough as Crystal could be, she was still a little kid.

Clementine released Crystal's little hand and took the crossbow from Aasim. Crystal turned away as her mother took the weapon. She wandered over to Louis and AJ who were still messing with the restrained walker.

"You made mommy sad…" Crystal spoke up to Louis.

Louis looked to the child. "What?"

"You made my mommy sad. Say sorry." Crystal said.

"I didn't mean to…" Louis sighed.

"If you're mean to my mommy, AJ will… will kick your ass." Crystal told him.

Louis was stunned by the tiny child's words. He looked from her to AJ.

"I will… If I have to." AJ said.

Louis found himself almost speechless. "W-Whoa, I wasn't trying to make your mommy sad."

"Then you have to apollygize." Crystal said.

"I did apologize." Louis said.

"You have to again." Crystal said.

"Alright, alright… I will." Louis said. "Let uh, fix this snare first. I was hoping your mommy would take a swing…"

"Why?" AJ asked.

"To blow off some steam." Louis replied.

AJ wrinkled his nose and asked, "Steam? Like hot water does?"

"Uh, I guess…" Louis replied. "When's the last time your mom had fun, acted like a kid?"

"Mommy says she's a grown-up." Crystal said.

"Just cause she has kids of her own doesn't make her grown-up." Louis said. "She should have fun every now and then."

"She has fun with us." AJ said.

"I'm sure, but I can just tell she's been stressed." Louis said.

"Because Marlon…" AJ muttered.

"Marlon?" Louis raised a brow.

"He made mommy sad two times." Crystal said.

"He doesn't mean it… He likes your mom…" Louis told them.

"If you like someone, why would you make them sad?" AJ asked.

"It's not on purpose. I like her too, but Crystal said I just made her sad." Louis said.

"You like-like mommy?" Crystal asked.

Louis rubbed the back of his head nervously. "…What do you think?"

"Yes!" AJ said. "Can I tell her?"

Louis quickly grabbed the boy before he could run off to do so. "Whoa, don't do that, buddy."

"Why not?" AJ asked.

"I thought her and Marlon were a thing." Louis said.

"They're people, not things." AJ replied.

Louis sighed. He had to keep in mind that he was talking to two small children. "I meant, I thought they were a couple.

"Couple of what?" Crystal asked.

"I mean dating… I thought they were boyfriend and girlfriend." Louis explained.

"Mommy said Marlon's not her boyfriend." Crystal said.

"Yeah, I know what she said, but… people say a lot of things." Louis shrugged. "Anyway… I don't know how she'd feel about me… considering I just pissed her off…" He frowned, he was starting to feel a bit guilty. "Thanks for making me feel bad…" He sighed at the little kids. He felt bad for upsetting Clementine, though he was still curious on the twins' father. Clementine had to be extremely young when she had them.

The boy decided to play time was over. He needed to make things right with Clementine, but he had to handle the walker first. "You two might wanna look away for this."

"Why?" AJ asked. "It's a monster. We've seen monsters die before."

"Monsters are bad. It's okay to kill them..." Crystal said.

"Killing's never a good thing..." Louis said.

"But if we don't kill the monsters, they'll kill us. Bunnies won't kill us... I don't want to see bunnies die, but monsters are different." Crystal said.

"But I… Okay, suit yourselves." Louis said.

Louis raised the chair leg and swung it hard, hitting the walking. He was surprised that the small children didn't even flinch. After two hits the walker was dead. Louis lowered his weapon and proceeded to free the creature from the snare, all while the little kids watched curiously.

* * *

Violet clutched Aleena's little hand as the small girl skipped alongside her, jabbering nonstop. "Leena, do you think you could actually walk now, not skip."

"Why?" Aleena asked. "I wanna play skip to my Lou! Skip to Lou-Lou!"

"Lou-Lou's not here." Violet groaned.

"Leena, if we use our walking feet, we'll get to the river faster." Brody spoke up.

"Okay! I can be really fast." Aleena tugged her little hand from Violet's grip. "Watch!"

"Aleena, wait!" Violet called, but the child had already darted forward. Violet shot Brody a look before rushing to catch up.

Violet chased after the small girl with Brody following, they managed to easily catch up to the girl and Violet once again, seized the child's hand.

"Don't run off like that. It's dangerous." Violet scolded the girl.

Aleena frowned, "But... But Brody said we have to go to the river fast..."

"We also have to stick together. Hold my hand, okay?" Violet said.

"Okay..." Aleena said.

"Good." Violet said.

They proceeded to the river, Violet made sure to keep a better grip on Aleena in case the girl tried to run off again. It didn't take long for them to get to the river, however upon arriving they were surprised to see their traps we empty.

Brody suggested they check the other traps along the river, so they did just that.

After a thirty-minute walk and checking various traps they found they were all empty.

"What the fuck is going on here? We didn't even catch a single fish…" Violet said.

"Maybe someone ate all the fishies." Aleena said.

Violet raised a brow; Aleena's comment made her worried. Had someone been in the area? "Leena…" She knelt to the child's eye level. "You said you saw someone yesterday, was it really a person?"

"A bad man…" Aleena answered. The girl looked nervous. "Is he gonna come here?"

"No… He's not." Violet said, noting the look of fear in the child's eyes.

"How do you know?" Aleena asked.

"Because he can't find us in the safe zone." Brody answered before Violet could say a word. "We're safe."

Violet knew that wasn't true. If someone was out there, the safe zone wouldn't stop them from coming and causing mayhem. Still, she didn't want to scare little Aleena. "We're okay… I'll protect you."

"O-Okay…"

"Come on," Violet stood up from her crouched position. "Let's… go find your mommy."

Aleena nodded.

"We should go get our spears. Hopefully we can catch something before we head back." Brody said.

"You sure we shouldn't go check in on the others first?" Violet said

"I'm sure they're fine. Come on, let's get to the shack and try to catch some fish…" Brody said.

"Alright fine…" Violet sighed. "Let's get moving."

* * *

After resetting the snare Louis made his way over to the Clementine and Aasim with AJ and Crystal nearby. "Catch anything?"

"Yeah, actually." Aasim said.

"Sweet! I guess we won't starve tonight!" Louis said.

"Not thanks to you." Aasim said.

"Oh, come on. I did my fair share of work." Louis claimed.

"Your definition of work completely differs from mine." Aasim retorted.

"Guys cut it out. There's no need to fight." Clementine said.

"I'm just shocked, Aasim doesn't appreciate how much I've helped out today." Louis said.

"Quit messing around, Louis." Aasim groaned. "Did you take care of that walker?"

"Yeah. I did. Just quit being a party pooper." Louis said. "The snares have all been reset and are ready to trap things. We good to go yet, or what?"

"Thanks to Clem, we got more than I expected. It's not enough for everyone, but it's enough to smile about." Aasim said.

"Nice job, Clem." Louis said, "I guess we know who did all the real work here."

"Do you take anything seriously?" Aasim suddenly asked.

"Do you take _everything_ seriously?" Louis countered.

"No. I don't take you seriously. Because you don't take yourself seriously." Aasim shot back.

Louis laughed at that. "I take a lot of things seriously, as long as it involves fun. Team fun always take fun seriously."

Aasim's response was sharp, "That'll get you killed."

"You can't deny that I'm fun as hell to be around." Louis said.

"More like annoying as hell." Aasim replied.

Clementine gave a sigh of frustration. "Guys," Her words fell on deaf ears.

"Are you really upset?" Louis asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I am." Aasim answered.

"Granted." Louis said. "But why?"

"Because you're an idiot. Gosh, it's like talking to a brick wall with you." Aasim huffed.

"Okay, enough arguing." Clementine said taking hold of Louis' arm and pulling him back.

Aasim shook his head. "I'll take this back to camp. You guys should go meet up with Brody and Violet and see if they've managed to snag any fish. This isn't gonna be enough for the whole school."

"I like fish." AJ beamed.

Aasim looked to the boy, "That's great. See ya."

"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Louis said.

Clementine shook her head. "Louis…"

"What? What'd I do?" Louis asked.

"You're just being you." Clementine said.

"He pissed himself off." Louis shrugged.

"You pissed him off." Clementine corrected.

"Life's too short to be a stress ball all the time." Louis said. "Aasim loves giving me crap about having a good time, always telling me I'm not thinking long term. "We need to guarantee our future," all that horseshit. But I tell him right back, there's only one guarantee: this moment. That's the only thing you got, only thing any of us got. Might as well enjoy it."

"I guess…" Clementine said.

There was a brief silence and Clementine noticed the boy's expression seemed to change. He appeared more serious. "Louis, what's wrong?"

"I guess I owe an apology…" Louis said.

"That would probably help…" Clementine said back.

Louis nodded. "I'm sorry, Clem…"

Clementine looked confused. "I meant apologize to Aasim, not to me."

"Aasim knows I was just messing around." Louis said. "I'm not apologizing for that… I'm apologizing to you because I ask you a personal question earlier, and I can tell it bothered you."

"I… It did bother me, a little…" Clementine said.

"You know I didn't mean to upset you…" Louis said.

"I know…" Clementine muttered.

"So… we're good?" Louis asked.

"Yeah. We're good." Clementine said.

Louis smiled, giving an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Good. I don't think I could handle you being mad at me."

"I don't think I could be mad at you, Louis." Clementine said.

"Good. I'm glad. So that means we can hold hands on the way back, right?" Louis asked.

Clementine rolled her eyes.

"Mommy's holding my hand!" Crystal said.

"She has two hands, doesn't she?" Louis said.

"Leena will cry if she doesn't hold her hand." AJ said.

"Alright, fine… Maybe next time?" Louis said in a half joking, half serious manner.

Clementine smirked a bit. "Maybe…"

Louis was surprised by her response but gave a small smile. "Come on, the girls are probably near the shack."

Clementine gave a nod and they began walking.

"Do you like fish?" AJ asked Louis,

"I once ate a whole shark." Louis replied.

"No you didn't!" AJ laughed.

* * *

Upon arriving at the shack Louis and Clementine both felt something was wrong.

Clementine looked around, feeling anxious. "Where's Vi and Brody?"

"They should be here by now." Louis muttered.

"Clem, look." AJ ran slightly forward. "Monster."

The others approached, seeing a walker on the ground with a spear pierced through its head.

Clementine furrowed her brows.

"Vi wouldn't have just left this out in the open. Wait... isn't that one of our spears." Louis said.

Clementine felt her stomach drop, she had a bad feeling. "My baby… I… We gotta find her."

"Hey, it's okay… Vi and Brody won't let anything happen to her." Louis said. "She's in good hands."

Clementine took a deep breath and nodded.

Louis headed over to the shack and examined the door. He frowned, "Damn it… Clem, the lock's busted. We might not be alone."

Clementine slowly approached, keeping the little kids behind her. She slowly opened the door and looked around. "It's clear." She announced.

"Holy shit! This place is wrecked. All our supplies are gone." Louis said. "I'll take a look around outside. Hold tight…".

AJ looked concerned and asked, "Are we in danger?"

"…Maybe…" Clementine replied honestly, trying to keep herself calm. Her thoughts were running wild. She just wanted to make sure Aleena was safe right now…

The girl took a look around and something caught her eye. She made her way towards a fireplace and picked up the object. "Cigarette. Hand rolled… Is this a bible page?"

The door suddenly opened causing them to jump. They quickly relaxed upon seeing Brody and Violet enter, Violet was carrying in her arms.

"Clementine?" Violet was surprised to see her. She placed little Aleena on her feet and the little girl ran over to her mother hugging her. Clementine sighed in relief and hugged back.

Brody looked around, "What the hell happened in here?"

Clementine broke the hug with her daughter and approached Violet and Brody, "Do any of the kids smoke?" Clementine asked.

"Nope. Nothing to smoke." Violet said.

Louis entered the shack and spoke up, "No sign of our thief."

"Thief?" Brody turned to him.

Violet's eyes widened. "Oh, shit. We just walked a mile of river, and the traps were all empty. No fish, none."

"Someone robbed us?" Brody asked.

"Oh, great. And now we're gonna starve." Louis groaned.

"Fuck, that's... fuck... fuck..." Brody took a couple shaky breaths, clearly having a panic attack.

"You're gonna be fine." Violet spoke up.

Clementine tried to help calm the situation as well. "Take a second, breathe in deep and hold it-"

"Just shut the fuck up, okay?!" Brody snapped at the girl.

"Excuse me?!" Clementine gasped.

Brody took a deep breath, "I have to tell Marlon about this..."

"If someone's around, splitting up's not a good idea." Clementine said. The girl felt Aleena grip her jacket, the child must've been nervous.

"Um, we still need food. You know, to live?" Louis said. "We definitely don't have enough here."

"You guys figure it out." Brody said before storming out.

Louis crossed his arms and looked to the others. "So what do we do? Eat rocks?"

"You can't eat rocks." AJ said.

Louis sent the boy a look, "I'm aware."

"Will Marlon kick us out if we don't find food?" AJ asked Clementine.

"I don't wanna go…" Aleena said.

"I know. I know…" Clementine said. "I'll figure something out."

"You're not gonna take off on us, are you?" Violet asked.

"I'm still here, aren't I?" Clementine said. "…For now?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Louis asked.

Clementine didn't answer.

Louis decided to drop it for now. "Where else could we look?"

"Let me think." Clementine paused for a moment before reaching in her pocket and pulling out a map she had been holding on to. "The train station, it's not too far from here."

"I don't know, that's pretty far outside our perimeter." Violet said.

"There was food in there when we passed through. It's worth a look." Clementine said.

Violet and Louis exchanged looks. Violet turned back to the other girl, "You sure there was food?"

"Positive. Yeah, some of it was destroyed in the explosion, but there has to be something left. There was so much there." Clementine replied.

Violet sighed, "Alright, fine. Lead the way."

* * *

It had gotten dark when they finally arrived at the train station, and the fact that the place was surrounded by walkers didn't make things look any better.

"That's where the food is..." Clementine motioned to the building. "Lot more walkers than last time, though..."

"We're gonna die." Louis commented.

"It's either die here or die from hunger. Take your pick." Violet retorted before looking to Clementine. "Clem, maybe you should scope things out. You know the place better."

"Let me get a closer look. Can't be too careful." Clementine rose from their place of cover and moved closer. "We barely got out of here. It was close."

"Sounds scary." Violet mumbled.

"There's a reason..." Clementine replied. The teen looked around until she spotted a familiar bell. "That bell... might be able to get the walkers' attention."

"They do like to follow sound..." Violet said.

Clementine looked to the train car, an idea coming to mind.

"You look like you've got an idea." Louis noted.

"The noise from that bell could draw a lot of walkers. If one of us climbs up there any starts ringing it..." Clementine said.

"Louis. I vote Louis." Violet quickly said.

Louis' eyes widened. "Uh, hold on. I'd like to make an alternate suggestion."

"Come on, Lou. You're loud, dramatic, a little annoying... You're basically a walking distraction." Violet said.

"I think you mean charming and theatrical." Louis said. "Entertaining is another word that comes to mind. Charismatic."

"See what I mean." Violet said.

"Okay, Prince Charming. Let's see those talents in action." Clementine said.

"I can't say no to a face like that." Louis smiled.

Clementine felt her cheeks flush a bit.

"I hope I'll get a reward for my bravery." Louis said.

"Reward? Like what?" Violet asked.

"I don't know... I was hoping to... hold someone's hand during the walk back." Louis shrugged.

"I'll hold your hand, Lou-Lou!" Aleena said.

Clementine quickly shushed the child.

"I meant... uh, okay..." Louis said.

Violet drew her weapon and looked to Clementine. "I'll go with you. Give you some cover."

"Fine... I'll do it. But if I die, I'm making sure walker Louis eats both of you first." Louis half joked.

Crystal gasped. "Don't eat my mommy."

"More importantly, don't die..." Clementine said.

Louis stood and headed over to the bell. Clementine followed.

"I'll distract them until I see you guys reach safe cover. Then I'll try to redirect the smelly patrol to give you guys a chance to sprint inside the building." Louis explained.

"When we get into position, I'll signal you. Then you can do your thing." Clementine said back.

Louis nodded grabbing the bell and pulling it loose. "Good luck."

As Louis made his way to the top of the train car the other managed to get closer to the station.

Clementine signaled to Louis, so he could lure the walkers away from the door.

It took a while, but soon enough Louis began ring the bell.

Violet stayed outside to keep watch while Clementine and the kids went into the station to get the food.

Upon entering inside Clementine led the way to the back room. She spotted a couple duffle bags and smiled. "These will be perfect."

AJ managed to find a lamp, which fortunately for them still worked.

Clementine glanced to the floor door, "AJ, I'm gonna need your help on this one, kiddo. You still got your gun?"

AJ nodded. "Just in case."

"Just in case." Clementine repeated.

"I wanna help too, mommy." Crystal said.

"Okay… Just stick close to AJ. You can help him." Clementine said.

"Okay." Crystal replied.

Clementine waited with Aleena as Crystal and AJ began gathering food from the floor down. The teen was surprise how much was still left. She started filling one of the duffle bags with the food, when suddenly she noticed a person standing by the door.

"M-Mama…" Aleena whimpered clutching to her mother.

"Stand. Slowly." The man ordered. "Don't yell. Don't try anything. I won't hurt you. If I don't have to."

Clementine noticed Aleena was trembling and quickly realized this must've been the man from yesterday. "Stay back."

"Relax…" The man said, keeping his gun aimed at her. "I'll make the rules here."

"What do you want?" Clementine asked.

"I just want some food. Same reason you're here." The man paused and took a puff of his cigarette before stomping it out. He stepped closer to Clementine who stood her ground, keeping Aleena behind her. "You and your friends made a lot of noise out there. Wasn't hard to follow. You live close by? You knew about this place already and organized some effort to get inside."

"Just passing through. Decided to see what we could scavenge." Clementine said.

"Uh-huh. And you just got extra lucky?" The man walked over to one of the bags, picking it up.

"That's ours!" Aleena said.

"Leena, hush." Clementine hissed causing the child to fall quiet.

"You look a little young to be out on your own. You and…your sister, huh? You got a group?" The man asked. "I count you girls, plus the two outside, I'm thinking, maybe more?"

"Tell me about your group first." Clementine urged.

"I miss the days when we weren't all so goddamn cagey." The man chuckled. "It's just me and my ugly face out here. Lonely, ugly, and hungry. Now... I'm going to fill this pack real slow."

"We worked hard to get this stuff." Clementine said.

"M-Mama…" Aleena whimpered slight, obviously scared.

"Mama? You're her mother?" The man was surprised. "You're a kid yourself, but you're already out here making babies?"

"You don't know anything about me." Clementine said coldly.

"I ain't judging you… But I am curious on what experience you got… I mean, you've already given it up…" The man took another step to her and Clementine flinched.

"Don't come any closer!" Clementine snapped.

"I said I won't hurt you… Don't be afraid…" He started to take another step. "Ever been with an older man before?"

Clementine trembled from those words, feeling dark memories flooding back. She felt sick to her stomach.

"Get away from her." AJ warned, revealing himself. Crystal slowly popped up as well.

"Well, hey there squirts, playing hide and seek, are we?" The man asked.

AJ responded by aiming his gun at him.

"Well, that's impolite." The man aimed his own weapon at the boy.

"Don't steal from us." AJ said.

"I'm not stealing. This isn't yours." The man said.

"I could kill you, you know." AJ said.

The man scoffed, "Come on, kid. I'm faster than you."

"Just leave us alone!" Clementine said.

"Shut it!" The man hissed. "Listen up squirt, you're gonna quit pointing that gun at me, and let me go my merry. I'm just going to take a little bit of food, and then I'm leaving. Like it never happened."

Clementine could feel her heart pounding. She had to think fast. Without hesitation she dashed forward and pushed the man towards an open window. Walkers grabbed hold of him yanking him out as he swore at the young teen.

Clementine took a few deep breaths, not noticing Violet, who had been alerted by the noise, rush into the room.

"What the fuck's going on?" Violet asked.

"I… I had to… I had to do it…" Clementine stammered.

"Clem?"

"I… h-had to, Vi." Clementine said.

"Slow down. What did you have to do?" Violet asked.

"Push the bad man…." Crystal answered.

"He… He was going to hurt us… He… He was…" Clementine managed to get out.

"Bad man? Who was gonna hurt you?" Violet was completely confused.

"H-Him…" Clementine stammered. "It… It was go-going to happen a-again… I… I don't- I do-don't want it to happen again!"

"What? What happened? What did he do to you?" Violet demanded.

"It… It hurt… It hurt…" Clementine muttered, eyes wide.

"What hurts? Where are you hurt?" Violet was on the verge of panic herself as she checks the girl for injuries. When she attempts to roll the other girl's sleeve up Clementine jerks away.

"It's okay…" Violet pulled the girl into a hug, she could feel the other girl literally shaking and it scared her. "It's gonna be okay."

Clementine took a couple seconds to calm down as Violet hugged her.

"You gotta pull yourself together, okay?" Violet spoke in a calm voice.

Clementine gave a small nod.

After a moment Violet broke the embrace. She looked to the younger kids. AJ had climbed from the hole and helped Crystal, who had a bit of struggle due to the younger girl's small size.

"You three okay?" Violet asked.

The children nodded, though they all look worried.

Violet turned back to Clementine, "Come on, let's get this shit and get the fuck outta here."


	6. Chapter 6

Clementine and Violet packed up as much supplies as they could. Violet was still stunned to see Clementine in such a panicked state. She had never seen the young girl react the way she had.

She wanted to talk to her about it, but now wasn't a good time. They needed to get the hell out of here.

"Come on, let's go!" Violet said.

They dashed outside with the bags full of supplies.

They didn't have time to explain the situation to a confused Louis as the urged the boy to run. Louis did so without hesitation.

The kids didn't slow until they were a good distance away from the walkers.

Finally, they took a moment to catch their breath.

"Everyone okay?" Violet asked.

Clementine looked to the little kids, making sure they were alright. "Y-Yeah…"

"What happened back there?" Louis asked.

"Some asshole was harassing Clem…" Violet explained.

"What? Where is he?" Louis asked.

"Mommy pushed him…" Crystal said.

"Pushed?" Louis repeated, eyes wide with shock.

"Out the window." Crystal said.

Clementine frowned but kept silent.

Louis was surprised by that. "O-Oh…"

"Come on, let's just get back to the school." Violet said.

Louis nodded.

Clementine felt Aleena clutch at her jacket and could tell the child was shaken up. She wordlessly picked her small daughter up, feeling Aleena rest her head on her shoulder.

The group continue walking toward the school.

* * *

The walk back was silent, once they were in the clear.

Clementine seemed to have calmed down. And Aleena seemed to as well, at least enough to walk on her own. The twins were clutching to Clementine's hands on both sides of her. Aleena also had a grip on Louis' hand.

Louis didn't mind it. As much as he would have liked to hold Clementine's hand again, Aleena was a sweet kid and he wasn't going to come between the little children and their mother.

The school came back into view and as the reached the gate Mitch caught sight of them and went to open the gate.

The kids entered the gate.

"Took y'all a while." Ruby commented upon seeing them.

"How poor are thou that have not patience." Louis said, slinging a bag onto the table.

Willy rushed over to see what they had brought. "Aasim! Mitch! Check it out! Food!"

The other kids made their way over.

"That's, like, a lot of food." Mitch said.

"Observant as ever, Mitch." Louis replied in a joking tone.

"I can't believe this. Look at it." Aasim said.

Willy smiled, "You're our savior, Clem."

"Louis and Violet helped too. It was a team effort." Clementine said.

"They've never brought back this much before." Aasim commented.

Louis and Violet both sent him a look. "Neither have you." Louis said.

Brody approached, raising a brow. "Where did you find all this stuff?"

"The old train station. Clem knew where it was." Louis replied.

"Train station..." Brody frown. "That's outside the safe zone."

"We'd have even more, but we ran into the creep that fucked up our rabbit traps." Violet sighed.

"Creep? What creep?" Brody asked.

"Clem saw him smoking those nasty ass bible cigarettes." Louis said.

"He had weird different colored eyes." Clementine explained.

Brody paused, looking to the gate anxiously. "Did he follow you?"

"Monsters got him!" Crystal said.

"I... I pushed him into a pack of walkers..." Clementine admitted.

"It was awesome!" AJ said.

"I... don't know if he got out of there, but if he did, he won't make it for long." Clementine said.

"You attacked him?! What the fuck!" Brody snapped.

Clementine flinched back. "He had me and my daughter at gun point! I did what I had to."

"If he survived you know he's coming back for revenge. What the hell were you thinking? This is fucked." Brody hissed.

"He would've shot us! Or... Or done something else... I had no choice." Clementine said.

Brody glared at her. "What if there are others?"

Clementine felt her heart drop at the thought. "I-"

"What if they come looking for him?" Brody cut her off. "You don't know what people are capable of."

"Think again." Clementine said.

"You just put everyone at risk! We told you this morning not to leave the safe zone!" Brody growled.

Clementine kept a serious look, "Wanna try stepping back, Brody? I'd recommend it."

"I'd recommend you getting your head out of your ass before we're all dead!" Brody hissed. "Do you even get it? Do you even realize how ridiculously reckless you were?!

"Get out my face, Brody." Clementine ordered.

Brody refused. "No! I'm talking to you, and I want you to open your ears and listen."

"I hear you! Just get out my face!" Clementine exclaimed.

"Or what?" Brody asked.

"I'm not trying to fight with you." Clementine said. "You're upsetting my kids, you need to back off.

"Calm down both of you!" Violet cut in.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Brody said.

"Quit picking on her for nothing! We just brought all this food back!" Violet said.

"Picking on her? Her stupidity is gonna get us all killed!" Brody snapped. "I just can't... I won't... just, not again... fuck!"

Marlon made his way over, looking confused. "What the hell's going on here?"

"She took them outside the safe zone. They SAW someone! You know what that means!" Brody was in clear panic at this point.

"ENOUGH!" Marlon hissed. "It just means there's a hungry guy out there looking for food. It's happened before. You are overreacting.

Brody shot him an annoyed look. "You can't be serious."

"Come on, let's go somewhere and talk about this." Marlon took hold of Brody's arm.

Brody yanked away, shoving Marlon to the ground. She then angrily marched back to Clementine. "If ANYTHING happens... I'm holding you responsible."

Clementine was stunned by the older girl's reaction. Brody stormed off, without another word.

Marlon slowly stood, he sighed, "Clem, I know you were just trying to help... but I really wished you didn't go against me."

"I didn't go against you. I did what I felt was right." Clementine said.

"You knew it was too risky. What were you thinking?" Marlon said.

"I was thinking that this group needed food and supplies. We all made it back fine." Clementine said.

"It could've easily gone any other way, Clem." Marlon replied.

"But it didn't… I know you're upset but I had to take the risk, Marlon. You said it yourself, we can't let a kid die." Clementine said.

Marlon sighed. "Yeah… I did say that… Well at least we're eating tonight. And for the next few, I'd wager." Marlon turned to walk away, pausing to call to speak again, "Um, I'll go talk to Brody. Thanks for the haul, Clem. You guys should go enjoy it. You've earned it."

Clementine was a bit surprised to hear that. She didn't feel like she had earned anything. After that argument with Brody and the earlier encounter with that stranger, she felt nothing but anxious.

Clementine felt Violet place a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'll uh, get dinner ready." Omar spoke up, breaking the awkward silence.

* * *

Brody didn't know how long she had been pacing. She was angry; she was annoyed. When she heard a sudden knock on her door, she froze, standing stock still for a moment before she proceeded to ignore the knocking. Regardless, the knocking continued, becoming louder and more insistent. Brody huffed as she realized it would be self-defeating to ignore it any louder. "Who is it, and what do you want?"

"It's me." Marlon's voice spoke.

Brody sighed, and opened the door. "What is it?"

"Brody, we need to talk." Marlon said as he stepped into the room.

Brody looked away. "There's nothing to talk about."

"Please... Just... give me like five minutes..." Marlon pleaded.

"For what? There's nothing to discuss." Brody said.

"There's nothing to discuss or you just don't want to hear it?" Marlon asked.

"I don't want to be a part of it. This is your fault… You and her deal with the situation." Brody replied.

"Me and her?"

Brody nodded. "Yeah. You think she can't do any wrong. You didn't even say anything about her leaving the safezone."

"I did say something. I'm not gonna flip out on her, she was only trying to help and the way I see it, she did. We needed the food." Marlon said.

"She didn't help anything! How are you going to defend her?" Brody snapped.

"What do you want me to do?" Marlon inquired.

"I want you to go set your little "girlfriend" or whatever she is to you straight. Let her know she can't just go around breaking rules." Brody said.

"She…. She's…" Marlon trailed off.

"She's what?" Brody questioned.

Not his girlfriend… But he couldn't get the words out.

"She's gonna get us all killed. That's what." Brody said.

"What are you… jealous?" Marlon asked quietly.

Brody raised a brow, "Jealous?"

"Yeah. You're acting pretty jealous." Marlon said with conviction.

"Really, Marlon? Jealous of what?" Brody asked.

"Of me talking to Clem." Marlon said.

Brody shook her head. "It has nothing to do with that."

"I think it has a lot to do with it." Marlon said.

"I'm not jealous of that little girl." Brody said, crossing her arms in annoyance.

"Then why are you starting stuff? Stop instigating." Marlon said.

Brody was fuming at his accusation.

"You're freaked out that she's here. You'd love it if she wasn't in the picture." Marlon continued.

"No. I'd love it if she stopped causing trouble." Brody said.

"She's a scared kid, who's trying to do what's best for her own children. She's not trying to cause trouble." Marlon said.

Brody's eyes soften for a moment before she shook her head and coldly said, "No one told her to get herself pregnant."

"Brody, stop. You don't know the whole story…"

"Oh, so you do? Care to enlighten me?" Brody scoffed.

When Marlon didn't respond she turned to walk away.

"I'm done with this conversation." Brody said.

Marlon took a single step. "Brody-"

"Marlon, stop! Just stop. I'm tired of all of this. I'm tired of keeping your secrets and worrying about what will happen everyday. I'm tired of being scared and thinking about what we'll say if they find out." Brody said.

"Brody, enough."

"Shut up! All of this is your fault!" Brody exclaimed.

Marlon lunged forward grabbing her arms, "You think I want this? That I want you to feel terrified rather than safe?"

"Let me go." She could feel his fingers digging into her tender flesh. She stared at him, body tense as she noticed he was clearly furious by her words.

"I hate this as much as you do…" He released his grip. "You need to calm down. You can't go around scaring every kid out there."

"Maybe they need to be scared straight! We specifically told them not to leave the safezone. And Clem convinces them to do it anyway. She went against you!" Brody said.

"I know."

"And you're just gonna let her get away with that?" Brody asked.

"She brought back a shitload of supplies. And for all we know that guy could be dead right now." Marlon replied.

"We don't know that. He could very well be alive and looking for revenge. If they come here…" Brody frowned at the thought."

"They won't, Brody." Marlon said.

"How the hell do you know?" Brody asked.

"Stop being ridiculous. They won't." Marlon said.

"I'm not being ridiculous! You know they're capable of anything." Brody said.

"Brody, we're safe here..." Marlon himself didn't even believe his words. No one was safe.

"That's not true."

"They'll come here... They'll come here and-"

"Brody! Snap out of it. No one's coming here. Didn't they let us go before..."

"But that was only because of what you did..." Brody reminded. "What if… What if they come back."

"Then we'll figure it out then." Marlon said.

"Marlon, no. We need a plan now. We have to do something." Brody said. She sounded desperate and nervous.

"Right now, you need to calm down. I'll think of something." Marlon said. "We gotta play it cool. We'll go get some dinner and talk tomorrow. There's no point in getting the whole group worked up."

Brody sighed but nodded.

* * *

"You okay?" Violet ask the younger girl as they sat down for dinner.

"I'm just a bit annoyed." Clementine admitted.

"Don't sweat it, Clem." Louis said.

"Did you not see what just happened?" Clementine asked.

"I saw but Brody didn't mean it." Louis replied.

"She just chewed me out in front of my kids. That's disrespectful. If she had something to say she didn't have to do it like that." Clementine said.

"Everyone's emotions are running high..." Ruby spoke up.

"Ever since we lost Sophie and Minnie, Brody's been freaked out by anything that happens past the safe zone. She'll be alright eventually." Violet said.

"Still, we should make sure this is a one-time thing." Aasim piped in. "We can take Rosie out in the morning and see if she catches a scent. You know, just in case." With that he walked off.

"We needed the supplies… We needed that stuff. I feel like she's pissed at me for nothing…" Clementine said with a sigh.

"I know, Clem…" Violet said. "Brody didn't mean that."

"I don't want you two to have tension." Ruby said.

"I can be cordial." Clementine said. "I'm not trying to fight with anyone here."

"If you say so…" Ruby said before walking off as well.

"Why don't you try to eat something?" Violet suggested.

"I don't even have an appetite right now. I'm just irritated." Clementine said.

"You should still eat." Violet said.

Clementine shook her head. "I don't want to…"

Violet raised a brow. "Fine… But can I ask you something?"

"What is it?" Clementine asked.

Violet's gaze drifted to the younger girl's arm. Clementine noticed and quickly tugged her sleeves down.

"Maybe we should talk in private…" Violet said.

"Don't go, mama!" Aleena latched onto Clementine.

"It's okay, baby…" Clementine said. "I'm not going anywhere."

"Clem…" Violet felt as if the younger girl was testing her.

"I can't just leave my kids." Clementine said.

Violet knew she was trying to avoid having a conversation. "Alright then…. I just want you to roll you sleeves up."

"Why?" Clementine demanded.

"Because… You've been acting strange about people seeing your arms." Violet said.

Louis seemed confused, "Vi, what's going on?"

Violet ignored him. "I want to know what you're hiding."

"I'm not hiding anything." Clementine said. "I just don't want anyone seeing my arms."

"Why not?" Violet asked.

"Because I don't. It's not a big deal." Clementine said.

"If it's not a big deal then roll your sleeves up." Violet said.

Clementine refused. "I'm not doing that."

"Clem, I'm trying to help you." Violet said.

"I don't need any help." Clementine argued.

"You know what, fine. Whatever." Violet huffed. "I 'm gonna go clean up."

"Vi…" Clementine called, but the older girl proceeded to walk away. "Tonight's putting everything in perspective for me…."

"What do you mean?" Louis asked.

"I mean I think I'm wearing out my welcome." Clementine said.

Louis frowned at that. "That's not true, Clementine."

"Feels that way." Clementine mumbled.

"Nobody wants you to leave, Clem." Louis said.

"I don't know if I want to be here…" Clementine said.

"So you're gonna take the kids out there, no car, or anything? Where will you go?" Louis asked.

"I'll figure things out." Clementine said.

"You can't just leave..." Louis said.

"Yes, I can." Clementine simply said.

"Why though? You can't leave." Louis nearly whined.

"I'm just starting to feel like this just isn't where I need to be." Clementine said.

"I don't wanna leave!" Aleena whimpered.

"Me either… I wanna stay!" Crystal pouted.

Clementine groaned, "Girls, calm down."

"Why do we have to leave?" AJ asked. "I don't want to stay in the car all the time…"

"There is no car." Clementine said.

"Is there anything I can say to change your mind." Louis asked.

"No… Not really…" Clementine said.

Louis dropped his gaze before slowly standing, clearly disappointed. "I think I should go help Violet out… See you later."

Clementine didn't bother trying to stop him. She knew there was no point.

"Don't worry about them. They're just sad." Tenn spoke suddenly.

Clementine looked to him. "Sad? Why?"

"My sisters died around this time last year. I think it's starting to get to people." Tenn said.

"Doesn't it get to you?" Clementine asked.

"Umm…" Tenn hummed, "No really. Dying's not scary. I mean, it's sad...but not scary."

"Being a walker is a lot worse than being dead." Clementine said.

"How do you know? Maybe being a walker is really nice." Tenn said.

Clementine scoffed, "I doubt it."

"Me too... But it's not like you can go ask one. I try not to focus on them being gone." Tenn said. "I like picturing where they'd be now instead."

Tenn lifted his picture to show them.

"Wow!" Crystal said.

"Sophie was awesome at making stuff. She'd build a place big enough for all of us to live and paint it too. And Minnie'd be playing whatever new song she wrote." Tenn said.

AJ stood to get a better look as the boy started drawing again.

"I guess death doesn't scare me because I know I have something waiting on the other side. Someplace safe, and happy. All of us together." Tenn explained.

"It looks like a nice place." Clementine commented.

"Yeah, I think so too. A lot better than this old smelly school." Tenn said with a smile.

Clementine studied the drawing for a bit then asked, "Who are those guys?"

"The walkers who killed them." Tenn replied.

"You want them there too?" Clementine asked, looking surprised.

"They weren't always walkers. Wherever this place is, everyone gets to be a person again." Tenn said. "Sometimes I draw the walkers the way they probably looked. Sometimes I draw Minnie and Sophie the way they probably left them..."

Clementine's eyes widened at that.

"But sometimes... I draw this too." Tenn said.

"Can we go there, mommy?" Crystal asked.

"Go there?" Clementine asked.

Crystal nodded.

"I wanna go too!" Aleena said. "Can we..."

Clementine rubbed her head, a bit awkwardly. "Umm... Girls-"

"It's magical. Can we go, please?" Aleena asked.

"It's just a picture, baby." Clementine said.

"It's not just a picture. It's a real place. At least I think so..." Tenn said.

"What's it called?" Crystal asked.

"Heaven. Or it's like heaven." Tenn replied.

The three little kids were puzzled by the word.

"Where is it?" AJ asked.

"Some people say it's up there." Tenn motioned to the sky.

Aleena looked up. "The sky? I only see clouds, silly."

"No beyond the clouds. That's where Heaven is." Tenn said.

"Can we go to heaven, mama?" Aleena asked.

"Sorry, baby. We can't." Clementine said.

"Oh... Why?" Aleena asked.

"You have to die to go to heaven." Tenn answered before Clementine could.

"I don't wanna..." Aleena said.

"I thinked people only turn to monsters when they die..." Crystal said.

"You thought..." Clementine corrected.

Crystal nodded. "How...How do they get to heaven if it's in the sky?"

"Their soul goes there, I think." Tenn said.

"Oh... Mommy, where's my soul?" Crystal asked. "Can I see it?"

"It's inside you..." Clementine sighed. "Girls, finish your food."

"I wanna go to heaven!" Aleena whined.

"You can't, Leena..." Clementine said.

"Maybe I can draw you here." Tenn suggested.

"Really?" Aleena aked.

"Can you draw me too?" AJ asked.

"Sure. I can draw all of you." Tenn said.

AJ smiled at that.

Tenn began sketching. He glanced to Clementine, "Do you wanna be there too? I promise I'll draw you well."

"...Sure. Why not." Clementine said.

"You're a really good artist." AJ said.

"Thanks..." Tenn continued to draw. "Sophie was a lot better than me though... I wish you could see her art work."

"I wish I could draw like you." AJ said.

"Maybe if you keep practicing one day you will be able to." Tenn said.

AJ smiled. "I hope so."

"I hope you guys stay, but I'll draw you something so you can remember us, just in case... Sometimes people make memory books." Tenn said.

Aleena whimpered a bit, "I don't wanna go! I wanna stay!"

"Leena!" Clementine huffed.

"What's going on here?" Marlon's voice made Clementine flinch. The girl looked to see Marlon and Brody had both returned outside.

"N-Nothing… Don't worry." Clementine said quickly.

"Why are you crying?" Marlon asked Aleena. When the small girl didn't answer he looked to Clementine, Crystal, and AJ, "Why's she crying?"

"Because mom says we have to leave." AJ said.

Marlon raised a brow, "Mom?"

"Clem said I can call her that." AJ said.

Marlon didn't question AJ any further. Instead, he asked Clementine, "Where are you going?"

"I don't know yet. But I'm not sticking around." Clementine said.

"You can't just leave." Marlon said.

"Why not?" Clementine asked.

"Because… Because it's not safe." Marlon said.

"I can take care of myself." Clementine said. "And my kids."

Aleena was once again in tears at this point. Crystal started comforting her twin.

"No one wants you to go, Clem." Brody said.

"Well, it's obviously not as safe here as I thought." Clementine said.

"But we care about you and the little kids." Marlon said.

"It's not about that, Marlon. It's just something I have to do…" Clementine responded.

"You're not thinking straight right now. You're just nervous." Marlon said.

"Of course I'm nervous. And I'm thinking about what's best for my kids." Clementine said. "This isn't a coincidence, Marlon. Some guy nearly grabs my kid and then I'm held at gunpoint by some creep two days later? Someone's wandering too close to our camp. My instinct tells me this person is trouble, and if you guys are going to take precautions, I'm not gonna stick around and wait for something bad to happen."

Marlon narrowed his eyes. "No one leaves! Ever! I told you it's safe here!"

"Safe? Some guy threatened my baby!" Clementine snapped.

"They can't find us here. You're just being paranoid." Marlon said.

"I'm not!" Clementine said.

"It's your own fault you were held at gun point! You led the group out of the safe zone!" Brody snapped.

Clementine glare at her as she got to her feet. "We needed the supplies, Brody. Did you want to fucking starve?"

"Your actions probably cost the whole group's safety." Brody hissed.

"I told you guys two days ago we should fortify the walls, get more weapons. Make this place safer, but no one wants to listen to me. So do whatever you want. But I'm not gonna sit around and wait to die." Clementine said.

"This is a problem your daughter caused, if she didn't wander off, we'd be fine." Brody said.

"Maybe she needs a leash more than Rosie." Marlon scoffed.

"Are you really going insult my four-year old?" Clementine asked. "Screw you both! I'm not gonna let anyone sit here and talk shit about my kids! Both of you can go to hell! AJ come on! Girls, let's go."

The argument was quickly drawing attention from the other kids who began to make their way over.

"Everyone just calm down." Ruby said.

"I'm not gonna calm down. I'm tired of everyone sitting here and supporting them when they're dead wrong!" Clementine said.

"Clem, no one's supporting anything. Just relax." Violet said.

Clementine once again motioned for her kids to follow her. The little ones hesitantly stood up.

"Clementine, you don't have to leave. Don't go." Louis said.

"I don't wanna go, mama." Aleena said.

"If you go out there it'll be a mistake." Marlon said.

"I'll take my chances." Clementine said.

"Clem, no." Marlon grabbed the teen's arm.

"Marlon, enough! It's not your decision. I'm getting tired of you trying to control me! Just back off!" Clementine snapped, yanking away.

"You have to stay. This is where kids stay safe… I'm protecting you." Marlon growled.

Aleena crept behind her twin, feeling a bit nervous about the escalating argument. "Why don't you go hit someone bigger than you and see how much they like it!" Aleena squeaked out.

"Stay out of this, Aleena!" Marlon said.

"Stop being mean to my sister!" Crystal said.

"Both of you, keep out of this!" Marlon said.

"Watch how you speak to my kids! I don't want your protection! It was your fault my daughter was almost hurt in the first place!" Clementine exclaimed.

Marlon glared at her and suddenly hit her, sending the girl to the ground.

Clementine gasped, gripping her cheek.

Everyone's eyes were wide.

"Marlon!" Violet snapped. "What the fuck?!"

"D-Don't you ever hit mommy again!" Crystal snapped.

"She made me do that!" Marlon claimed.

The others ignored his excuses. Violet and Ruby helped Clementine up and led her and the little children inside.

* * *

Clementine winced as she felt Ruby's hand touch her cheek.

"Nothing's broken... But there's gonna be one hell of a bruise." Ruby sighed, pulling her hand back. "Are you okay?" She asked Clementine, wearing a concerned look.

"I'm fine, really." Clementine said.

"I can't believe he hit you like that." Violet huffed.

"I can hit him back for you." AJ said. "I WILL hit him back for you."

"AJ, no…" Clementine said. "It doesn't hurt that bad."

"It doesn't matter if it hurts. He shouldn't have done it." Violet said.

"It's okay." Clementine said. "I'm fine…"

"It's not okay." Violet said. "He's such an asshole."

"He hit you pretty hard, Clem. Your cheek is all red." Ruby said.

"I felt worse." Clementine said. I'm fine. Really. I appreciate your help, but I'm okay."

"I hate him…" Crystal said.

"No you don't… He didn't mean it." Clementine said.

"He did mean it." Crystal huffed.

"Marlon just… he gets like that sometimes." Ruby said. "He needs to control his anger."

"That's a problem. Just because he's the leader doesn't mean he can go around smacking people in the face." Violet said.

"I know."

Aleena's soft whimpers drew Clementine's attention and the teen quickly pulled her daughter into a hug.

"It's okay, baby. Mommy's okay." Clementine said.

"So what are you going to do now?" Ruby asked the teen.

Clementine paused for a moment before speaking. "I… We're gone. Come tomorrow."

"Clem, that's not a good idea." Violet said.

"After what just happened. Nothing's going to change my mind." Clementine said.

No one said a word, they didn't know what to say.

* * *

"What the hell is your problem? You don't put your hands on girls like that!" Louis hissed at his friend.

"She made me do that shit, Louis! Why don't you mind your own business?" Marlon said.

"She didn't make you do anything! You hit her in the face!" Louis argued.

"She kept pushing me!" Marlon said.

"She didn't do anything wrong. Just because she rejected you-"

"It's not about that, Louis!" Marlon said.

"I don't care what it's about! You don't put your hands on a girl like that!" Louis snapped.

"Fuck you, Louis! You don't know shit." Marlon said.

"Screw you too!" Louis said. "I'm… I'm going to check on her."

Louis walked off and Marlon huffed.

* * *

"Someone should hit him back. And…. And see how he likes it…" Crystal said.

"I'll do it." AJ said. "I'll kick his ass."

"AJ, Crystal, that's enough… We don't need to do any of that." Clementine said.

"But he's bad, mama! He's naughty!" Crystal said. "He… He hurt you."

"I'm fine, baby. I promise." Clementine said.

"It was just fucked up… I can't believe he would hit you…" Violet muttered.

"I swear he's never hit anyone like that before." Louis said. "That's not how he is…"

"Guys, I'm fine, really." Clementine said. "Let's just all go to bed."

A small knock at the door caused everyone to give a slight jump. Clementine sighed in relief when it was only Tenn.

"Umm…. I brought your picture… To make you feel better." Tenn said.

"My picture?" Clementine asked, looking confused.

Tenn nodded. "Yeah… I finished drawing it."

"But it's yours, Tenn." Clementine said.

Tenn shook his head. "It's ours."

Clementine gave a small smile. "I really appreciate it."

"Here, I'll tape it to the wall. That way it's there if you want to stay, or you'll remember to take it if you want to leave." Tenn said.

"Thanks, Tenn."

Tenn made his way to the wall and taped the picture up.

"It's been a long day… I think we should all head to bed." Ruby said. "You good here, Clem?"

"I'll be okay…" Clementine said.

"Alright… Goodnight, Clementine." Ruby said.

"Goodnight." Tenn said as well.

"Night, guys." Clementine said back.

The two left the room and silence filled the air. Violet and Louis remained in the room, both looking concerned.

Louis was speechless for the first time in a while. He felt sick at he noticed the bruise on the younger girl's face. He stepped towards her and reached a hand out to gently touch her cheek. Despite the softness of his touch, Clementine winced.

"I'm sorry..." Louis whispered.

"You didn't hurt me. I just-"

"I'm sorry." Louis repeated, cutting her off.

"It's okay, it looks worse than it feels, trust me." Clementine said.

"I'm so sorry." Louis said.

"Louis... You have nothing to be sorry for."

She was surprised when she felt him pull her into a hug. She frowned and returned the embrace.

He felt disgusted, angry, and hurt at the same time. He wasn't the one who had been hit, but it hurt him to see Clementine get hurt. He was in rage over what had been done to her.

She could feel him shaking.

Violet watched in surprise, she had never seen Louis like this before.

"I'm so sorry..." Louis continued to apologize, as if he had been the one to hurt her.

"It's not your fault, Louis…" Clementine once again said. "It's not your fault."

* * *

"Louis was right, you don't put your hands on a girl like that!" Brody said. "What were you thinking?"

"Whose side are you on?" Marlon demanded.

"Marlon, enough. This whole thing is ridiculous." Brody said.

"She… She said she's leaving tomorrow." Marlon said. "We can't let her do that."

"Why not?" Brody asked.

"Because, it's not safe." Marlon replied.

"Marlon, we can't stop her. If she thinks she can handle herself-"

"This isn't about her. This is about us." Marlon said. "After everything we did for her, this is how she acts."

"What do you mean?" Brody questioned, looking confused.

"Do you really think it's a coincidence that the guys shows up again, and now she wants to leave?" Marlon asked.

"You… You think she's working with them?" Brody sounded worried, she looked around anxiously.

Marlon was glad no one else was close enough to hear her panicked will words. "Maybe… For all we know she could be working with those guys."

"She…She said she pushed him, why would she push him if she was working with him?" Brody stammered.

"She could've been lying. Look, we can't trust her…. Not now." Marlon said.

"You did before before…" Brody pointed out.

"Yeah, but all this can't be a coincidence. If those guys come back… they're gonna want someone else…" Marlon said. "She's probably on the run."

Brody gulped, face paling. "So… what do we do?"

"We protect our people and… hand her over…" Marlon said.

"What about the little kids?" Brody asked.

"What about them?" Marlon scoffed. "They can go too."

"You think Clem's not gonna fight this?"

"She won't have the chance." Marlon said. "We gotta make sure she doesn't go anywhere. At all cost."

"How do we do that?" Brody asked.

"I'll try to talk to her." Marlon said.

"And if that doesn't work?"

"We'll… take different measures."

"Different measures?" Brody asked. "What do you mean...?"

"

* * *

When Louis had calmed down he and Violet cleared out the room so Clementine and the little kids could rest.

Clementine got the kids tucked into bed, before settling down herself.

"Where's Vi?" Aleena's little voice asked.

"She went to her room." Clementine said.

"This is her room." Aleena said. "Is she coming back."

"She has a different room, Leena." Clementine said.

"But I miss her… I want her to come back…"

"You'll see her tomorrow, I promise…"

"Are we gonna leave tomorrow?" Crystal asked.

Clementine didn't answer the question. "It's bedtime. All of you go to sleep."

The children didn't protest.

Silence fell for a while before AJ called, "Mom…"

The name coming from AJ felt a bit strange. She had always felt like his mother, but she wondered if Rebecca would be okay with him calling her mom. "Yeah, buddy?"

"I won't let Marlon hurt you ever again. If he tries… he'll wish he hadn't." AJ said in a cold tone.

"He's not going to hurt me…" Clementine said. "Now, try to get some rest, buddy."

"Okay… Goodnight." AJ said.

"Night, Goofball." Clementine slipped the nickname before she could stop herself. However, AJ didn't complain.

* * *

Marlon and Brody knocked on Clementine door the next morning, hoping to speak to the girl. Clementine refused to answer, and his knocking became angrier and more violent.

"Marlon, calm down." Brody pleaded.

"Shut up!" Marlon hissed at Brody. "Clementine, open up! We need to talk."

Eventually the door opened, and Crystal stood there. "Mommy doesn't want to talk to you."

"Well I want to talk to her." Marlon said with a huff.

Crystal shook her head. "No! You're mean to my mommy!"

"Move out my way, kid!" Marlon ordered.

"Marlon-"

"No!" Crystal snapped, refusing to move.

Marlon shot the child a look before shoving her aside.

"Hey! Keep your damn hands off my daughter!" Clementine hissed. "What do you want?"

Marlon sighed before speaking, "Clem, I know you want to leave, but it's not safe."

"We've been over this, I can handle myself." Clementine said. "Don't act like you care about my safety. You hit me in the damn face yesterday."

"Just listen to me." Marlon said.

"I don't want to listen to you." Clementine said.

"But Clem,"

"What, Marlon? Are you gonna smack me again?!" Clementine snapped.

"Damn it, listen!" Marlon grabbed at the girl's wrist.

Crystal barreled full speed towards them grabbing at Marlon, trying to pull him away from her mother. Her efforts did nothing. "Don't touch my mommy! Leave her alone!"

"Let her go… Or else… Or else…." AJ threatened.

"Or else what?" Marlon taunted.

"Or else I'll make you." AJ said.

"Marlon, stop. You don't have to grab her like that." Brody said walking over and pulling him away.

Marlon released his grip.

AJ sent him a dark look, "If you ever put your hands on her… Or my sisters again… I'll kill you."

"You'll what?" Marlon asked.

"I'll kill you." AJ said.

Marlon was shocked by the small boy's words. "You just might be crazy enough to try it…"

Footsteps in the hall, caused them to quiet down. A small worried voice called from the doorway, "What happened? Is everyone okay?"

"We're fine, Tenn…" Clementine said, moving past Marlon. The children followed. "We're just heading to breakfast."

Marlon and Brody exchanged looks as the others left the room.

"What now?" Brody asked.

"Time for plan B." Marlon said.

* * *

Clementine was almost surprise when Brody sat beside her at breakfast.

And even more surprised when the other teen offered her a cup of coffee. Clementine thanked her and started sipping at the drink. "I'm not staying, Brody."

"I know… I just… I'm just trying to be nice. I feel bad about all this." Brody said.

"The argument between us is water under a bridge now…" Clementine said. "What Marlon did on the other hand…. I can't forgive him."

"I… I don't blame you." Brody said. "Look, I just wanted to tell you be safe out there."

"I will. Thanks."

Brody gave a small nod.

Clementine continued drinking the coffee, until a wave of dizziness washed over her. She brought a hand to her head.

"Are you okay?" Brody asked, a look of concern on her face.

Clementine slowly stood from the table. "I…" She stumbled a bit and before she could get another word in, everything had gone dark.


	7. Chapter 7

Concerned mutters filled the air. The children gathered around the unconscious girl, everyone was worried.

Ruby check the girl's head, finding no blood or bumps.

"What happened?" Violet questioned.

"I... I don't know. She was fine one second then..." Brody trailed off.

"Is she gonna be okay?" Willy asked.

"I'm not too sure. She passed out..." Ruby said. "Might be all the stress getting to her, since she's recovering from a head injury still."

"So what should we do?" Violet asked.

"Get her to bed. We'll let her rest for a while." Ruby said. "Help me get her up."

Brody took a step over. "I can-"

"I got her..." Louis offered before scooping the unconscious teen into his arms.

"I want mama to wake up..." Aleena said.

"Me too. When's she gonna wake up?" Crystal asked.

"She needs some time, girls. Don't worry, she'll be okay." Ruby said.

Aleena started whimpering, Violet frown and knelt to the small child's level. "Leena, look, your mommy's gonna be fine. You just… you gotta be strong for her. Don't cry…"

"How do you know?" AJ asked.

Violet looked over to him. "What?"

"How do you know she's gonna be okay? Why did she faint in the first place?"

"Poor thing probably overworked herself." Ruby said. "She'll be fine. Let's get her to her room."

Louis nodded and started heading to the girl's room.

The little children and Violet followed. Brody bit her lip nervously as she watched them go.

The others slowly headed back to their areas, still concerned about the girl.

* * *

With Clementine settled in her bed, Ruby once again check the girl over for injuries.

"She seems okay… We just gotta see that she takes it easy for a bit." Ruby said.

"I want her to wake up…" Aleena pouted.

"That's gonna take a while, sug." Ruby said.

"Then I'll lay with mama! She needs cuddles." Aleena said.

Aleena tried to get onto the bed, but Violet grabbed the child. "Aleena, no. Let your mommy sleep."

"But- But I wanna lay with her!" Aleena whined.

"She needs her rest, sug. Let her sleep." Ruby said.

"We'll stay here and wait for mommy to wake up." Crystal said, plopping down on one of the beds.

"We don't know how long that will take… Why don't you three go play?" Ruby said.

"We can't." AJ said. "Someone has to protect Clem."

"Protect her from what?" Violet asked.

"Bad people… Nightmares. Anything she's scared of." AJ said. "I'm supposed to protect her and the twins."

"What if I stay here and protect her?" Violet suggested.

"I wanna stay with Vi." Aleena said, grabbing onto the teen's vest. "I'll stay with you and mama."

"You sure you don't want to play?" Violet asked.

"We can't play right now." Crystal said. "We have to make sure mama is safe."

"I think we should let her rest on her own." Ruby said.

"Won't she be lonely?" AJ asked.

"She'll be asleep. She can't be lonely." Louis said.

"But... what if she wakes up and she's scared." Crystal asked.

"I'll check on her in a bit." Ruby replied.

"She needs her bear." AJ said before going to grab the teddy bear.

Ruby furrowed her brows, "That bear is all used up... Maybe she needs a new one…"

"No! She doesn't want a new one." Crystal said. "Only Promise."

"Promise? Is that her name?" Ruby asked.

"His name. Promise is a boy." Crystal replied.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ruby said.

"Yeah. And don't get rid of him. Mama needs him very much." Crystal said.

"I ain't gonna bother him. Don't worry." Ruby said. "He could use a good washing though."

"I'll clean him up…" Louis said.

"I wanna help too." AJ said.

"Alright, buddy." Louis said. "Come on. We'll get him all clean for her."

AJ nodded and followed Louis out of the room, still holding Clementine's bear in his arms.

"Come on, girls, let's let your mommy rest." Ruby took the twins' hands.

"But mama needs us to take care of her." Aleena said.

"She's fine. I promise. She just needs to sleep." Ruby said.

"Okay…" The twins muttered.

Ruby started to lead the twins out of the room.

Violet looked over to Clementine, unable to shake her concern. She wondered if stress really had caused the younger girl to faint like that. She was hesitant to leave the girl. Violet sighed then took a seat on the bed across from the girl. She was too worried to leave her alone.

Ruby noticed Violet stayed in the room but said nothing. It probably was good to have someone keep an eye on Clementine, and who better to do that than Violet.

* * *

Brody bit at her lower lip, feeling anxious as she made her way over to Marlon. "How much medicine did you put in there?" She questioned as quiet as possible.

"Enough. Enough to keep her asleep for a while." Marlon replied.

"What's a while?" Brody asked.

"A while." Marlon simply repeated. "Relax, she's fine."

"What do we do now, Marlon?" Brody questioned.

"We have to wait until she's alone…" Marlon said.

"Everyone saw her pass out. I doubt they'll just leave her alone." Brody said.

"They will at some point." Marlon said. "They're not gonna sit with her forever."

Brody just gave a small nod.

When Louis and AJ stepped outside, AJ holding Clementine's bear, Brody quickly asked, "How is she?"

"Ruby said we should just let her rest." Louis said.

"Why do you have her bear?" Marlon asked.

"We're gonna wash it for her." AJ said.

Marlon scoffed, "That's a waste of water. There's other toys around here, just-"

"She doesn't want another toy! She needs Promise!" AJ said. "She needs him."

"Fine… Do whatever you want…" Marlon muttered. He knew the bear meant a lot to the girl anyway.

"Come on, bud. Let's go clean this up." Louis placed a hand on AJ's shoulder leading forward.

Before long Ruby and the twins came out as well.

"Ruby, how's she doing?" Brody asked. She was genuinely worried about the younger girl.

"She's okay… We're just gonna let her rest. Vi's still with her." Ruby said.

"Vi?" Marlon asked.

Ruby nodded. "Yeah. I don't think she wants to leave her side."

"I wanna stay with mama too! We gotta take care of her!" Crystal said.

"You're mommy's fine. I promise." Ruby said. "How about you girls play?"

"Play what?" Aleena asked.

Ruby thought for a moment then asked, "Want to do a puzzle with me?"

Aleena nodded, "I like puzzles!"

"Okay, we'll work on a puzzle while we let your mommy sleep." Ruby said.

"Okay." Crystal said. "I hope mama wakes up soon."

"I'm sure she will. Don't worry." Ruby said.

Brody lowered her gaze as Ruby led the twins away. She couldn't help but feel guilty.

* * *

Violet sat in the quiet room for quite a while. AJ had returned with Louis after some time, placing Clementine's bear on the windowsill to dry.

Louis had to convince the little boy to leave Clementine to rest. AJ finally agreed after getting Violet to promise to protect Clementine.

Clementine seemed to be sleeping peaceful and Violet stood to leave the room however she froze as a sudden whimper drew her attention. Violet looked over to Clementine's resting form and frowned.

The younger girl whimpered again. "Please…"

It didn't take long for Violet to realize she was having a nightmare.

"Stop!" Violet heard Clementine say, "Please stop! No!" The girl seemed to be close to sobbing as she thrashed around a bit in her bed.

"Clem-"

"It hurts… It hurts…. Stop it!" The girl whimpered.

"Clementine," Violet quickly walked over to the sixteen-year old and began to gently nudge her awake.

Waking her had been more than a struggle. It took a few shakes before the younger girl's eyes finally opened and she let out a gasp.

Her gaze seemed unfocused and when Violet asked her what had happened, who hurt her, the girl could only slur out, "C-Carver…" before her eyes fluttered shut once more.

Violet frowned. She didn't know who this Carver person was. But whoever they were, Clementine was obviously scared of them and Violet wondered why…

* * *

"Damn it." Marlon groaned. "This shit isn't going to work if we can't get her alone."

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea." Brody said.

"We can't back out now. We know she's working for them…" Marlon said.

"We don't know that for sure…" Brody said.

"So what? You think all this is a coincidence?" Marlon questioned. "They run into the guy in the woods and now she's ready to up and leave…"

"I…. No…. Not really." Brody admitted quietly. "I don't know what to think. I just want to make sure everyone's safe."

"And we will. But we gotta question her… Figure out about that group… We just gotta get her alone…."

"And how do you expect to do that?" Brody asked.

"I… I don't know…" Marlon said. "I'll figure something out… Try to get her to drink the rest of that coffee."

"But Marlon-"

"Just do it." Marlon said."

Brody didn't get to respond before Marlon had stood and walked inside the school.

* * *

It had been a few hours since Clementine had been out. Ruby checked in on the girl a few times with Louis did his best to entertain AJ and the twins. Violet had stayed by the girl's side the whole while.

Both Brody and Marlon realized no one had any intention of leaving Clementine alone. They didn't know what to do…

Marlon locked himself in his room feeling annoyed. Brody decided to take the chance to check in on Clementine.

When she got to the girl's room Violet sent her a brief look before looking back to Clementine.

"Hey…" Brody greeted.

"Hey…" Violet muttered back.

"I uh… rewarmed her coffee. A warm drink will probably help her feel better once she wakes up..." Brody said.

Violet gave a small nod and Brody placed the cup on the nightstand.

"Is she doing okay?" Brody asked, looking worried.

"I guess so…" Violet said.

Brody arched a brow, "You guess?"

"She… has a lot of nightmares…" Violet shrugged. "But she seems okay for now…"

"Oh… Nightmares about what?" Brody asked.

"I don't really know… Someone named Carver…" Violet said. "She seems scared shitless of him."

"Who's Carver?" Brody wondered.

"I have no idea…" Violet said. "But I'm worried about her… Whoever this Carver is… he must've hurt her?"

Brody frowned and asked, "…Hurt her how?"

Violet shrugged. "It… must've been pretty bad if she's having nightmares about him…"

"I'm…. I'm sure she'll be fine." Brody said.

"She's far from fine…" Violet replied.

"Why do you say that?"

Violet didn't answer for a moment. She slowly stood and walked over to Clementine, pulling up the girl's sleeves to reveal many scars.

Brody's eyes widened. "Wh-What happened?"

"She's been cutting herself." Violet said.

"What? Wh-Why would she do this?" Brody stammered, stunned from what she saw.

"She's hurting, Brody… And she's been keeping all to herself…" Violet said.

"I… had no idea…" Brody said. "How did you find out…?"

"I saw the cuts…." Violet said. "I figured something was up. I didn't know for sure what, but I've seen the scars… and put two and two together. I tried to confront her about it, last night, but she was brushing it off like it was nothing… She wants to act like they're not there… But I've notices how she acts about keeping her sleeves down."

The conversation was just making Brody feel more guilty. "Are you going to stay with her all day." Brody asked.

"Yeah. Why not? She needs someone to be here for her…" Violet gently pulled the girl's sleeves down and tucked her into her blanket.

"I could stay with her for a bit… If you need a break." Brody offered.

"I thought you were mad at her…" Violet said.

"I was… I mean, she went against the group…" Brody said. "She put everyone at risk…"

"She did what she had to for the group." Violet said. "She got us supplies that we needed."

"But she left the safezone! After we told her not to!" Brody exclaimed.

Clementine flinched slightly in her sleep at her shout.

Brody noticed and sighed, "I…I'm not mad at her… I just thought that was a bad call."

"Maybe… But sometimes we have no choice but to take risk." Violet said.

"I know… I just don't want anything bad happening… After what happened last year… we've been through enough…" Brody said. "We can't lose any more people."

"And we won't." Violet said. "Clem was trying to help. She knew there was food at the station, so she took a chance. If you wanna be mad, be mad at me and Louis too. We both went along with the idea."

"I said I wasn't mad, Vi!" Brody said.

Brody frowned as Clementine stirred slightly again. "I should go… She needs her rest… I'll check back in later… And I can still take over if you want a break."

Violet simply nodded, "I think I'm good… for now anyway."

Brody gave a nod and made her way from the room.

* * *

Clementine seemed to have endless nightmares. Violet didn't think the girl would ever fall into a comfortable sleep. She lost count of how many times she had nudged the younger girl awake to stop her distraught cries.

It scared her, hearing Clementine crying as if she was in pain, begging someone not to hurt her.

When Clementine awoke again, she still seemed to be dazed and out of it.

"Clem… Are you okay?" Violet asked the girl.

Clementine was quiet for a moment, looking almost confused.

"What's wrong?" Violet asked.

Clementine kept quiet for a bit. "C-Carver…" She shivered.

"Who is Carver?" Violet questioned, looking confused.

Clementine looked around anxiously. "He…. He hurt me…"

"Where?" Violet asked.

Clementine whimpered a bit, not respond.

"Where did he hurt you, Clem?" Violet asked in a quiet voice.

Clementine was silent, not moving a muscle for a moment before with much hesitation she moved a small hand down, lower and lower.

Violet felt sick when she noticed the girl bring a shaky hand to her crotch. "He… touched you down there?"

Clementine shook her head then gave a small nod.

Violet felt confused. "Yes or no?"

Clementine dropped her hand from her crotch and lowered her gaze.

"Did he… do anything else?" Violet felt the girl tense and asked, "What did he do to you?"

Clementine didn't respond, her chin was quivering. Tears were threatening to roll down her face.

"Did he do more than…touching?" Violet questioned gently.

Clementine once again nodded. "H-He hurt…" She trailed off, biting her lip.

"Hurt you how, Clem. What did he do?" Violet asked, feeling her heart began pounding.

Clementine was silent, shaking a bit.

"Did… Did he… raped you?" Violet finally forced herself to ask.

Clementine didn't respond. She simply closed her eyes.

"I'm sorry…. I shouldn't have asked." Violet said. "I'll leave you alone."

Clementine quickly took the other girl's hand and stammered, "N-No…"

"Clem?"

"I don't want to be alone…" Clementine muttered.

"Clementine…." Violet sighed.

"P-Please don't leave me… I don't want to be alone again…" Clementine said.

Violet frowned, "I won't leave you… I promise." Violet reached for the cup of coffee that was no longer as warm as it had been. "Here. Brody brought this for you."

Clementine looked at the cup for a moment before slowly accepting it. Violet helped the girl by holding onto the cup, to keep her from dropping it. The girl began to drink from the cup before abruptly stopping.

"What's wrong?" Violet asked, placing the cup back down.

"M-My kids?" Clementine said, looking a bit worried.

"They're fine. Louis and Ruby have been keeping an eye on them." Violet said.

Clementine nodded before looking to her side, seeing her bear wasn't there she frowned. "Promise…"

"He's drying."

"I need him…" Clementine said.

Violet gave a nod. "I'll get him for you, Clem."

Clementine grabbed at her arm, stopping her.

"It's okay, I'm not gonna leave you. I swear." Violet could feel Clementine trembling.

Clementine loosened her grip and Violet went to grab the bear from the windowsill. He was still a bit damp but was mostly dry. "Here you go, Clem. He still needs to dry a bit more…"

Clementine took the bear and hugged him. "Lay with me?"

"Sure…" Violet gave the girl a hug. "You're not alone…"

* * *

Clementine had spent the entirety of the day drifting in and out of sleep. Every now and then someone else would come to check on her. Brody sat with the girl as she offered while Violet went to get dinner.

Ruby glanced over to the girls who had barely touched their food. "Girls, what are you doing? Eat your food."

"We're saving it for mama." Crystal said.

"Your mom's asleep. She's not gonna eat that shit." Mitch said.

Aleena gasped. "Oh! Mitchy said a swear!"

"I'm going to pretend that your comment about my food was not an insult." Omar spoke up.

"Insult? How did I insult anyone?" Mitch asked.

"You called the food shit." Aasim pointed out.

"Well, it's not the best- Hold on." Mitch looked over to Aleena, "Did you call me "Mitchy"?"

Aleena nodded, a bright smile on her face. "You are Mitchy!"

"Don't. Don't call me that again, kid." Mitch said.

"Why?" Aleena asked.

"Because, it's... embarrassing." Mitch replied.

"What's em-bear-son mean?" Aleena asked.

"Embarrassing." AJ said. "It means... uh... It means..." AJ trailed off, unsure of how to explain the word to the young girl.

"Means what?" Crystal asked.

"Uh... something that-" AJ paused. "It's hard to explain."

"It means awkward." Aasim said.

"What's awkward, Simmy?"

Aasim cringed at the nickname. "Strange or uncomfortable."

"Who's strange? What's strange?" Aleena asked.

Aasim nearly groaned. "That's what awkward means."

"Ohhh." The twins said.

"And... you know my name's Aasim, right?" Aasim asked Aleena.

Aleena nodded, wearing a smile. "Uh-huh."

"Then... You know what, forget it." Aasim said.

Ruby chuckled a bit.

"You've been quiet, Vi. Everything okay?" Louis asked, looking at his friend with concern.

Everything wasn't okay. Yes, Violet was fine, but she felt heartbroken for Clementine. She couldn't imagine what the younger girl had gone through. Being sexually abused as a child... It made Violet feel sick.

"I'm just… worried about Clem." Violet said before looking to AJ. "Does she always… have nightmares?"

"Mom has a lot of bad dreams…" AJ said. "I try to protect her, but I can't go in her dreams and keep her safe."

"What does she have bad dreams about?" Violet asked. "Does she ever tell you?"

"I think monsters… And bad people. She sometimes talks in her sleep… or cries." AJ said.

"What does she say?" Violet asked.

"She cries about someone named Carver…"

 _Carver… the man who hurt her…_

Violet wondered if he was still alive. She sure as hell hoped not.

"I don't know who Carver is…" AJ said. "I've asked but she never wants to talk about him…"

"That's probably for good reason, buddy." Violet replied. A good reason indeed.

* * *

Brody sat in silence, trying not to feel guilty as she looked at the sleeping girl. She wondered if the girl was truly working with the people who they had encounter last year.

When a knock came at door, the teen flinched. Before long the door opened, and she was surprised to see Marlon.

"Hey… How is she?" Marlon asked as he stepped inside.

"Still sleeping." Brody muttered, though the boy could see that himself.

"I just wanted to check on her… I wanted to make sure I didn't over do it with the medicine." Marlon said.

"She's woken up a few times…" Brody replied.

"Oh? That's good." Marlon said. He walked closer to the girl and gently brushed his fingers through the girl's hair. Brody watched unsure what to think as she noticed this.

"I really like her... It sucks that things had to turn out this way." Marlon muttered. He glanced to Brody and noticed a glum expression on her face. "Something wrong?"

"I just... feel bad, Marlon." Brody said. "Vi-Violet told me Clem cut herself."

Marlon's eyes widened. "When?"

"I don't know when, but I think it's been an ongoing thing." Brody said.

Marlon slowly lifted the girl's sleeves and was shocked by what he saw. "Shit... How didn't I notice this…?"

"None of us did."

Marlon shook his head, frowning even more. "But I should've… We were…"

"Were what?" Brody urged him to continue.

"We were supposed to be a thing." Marlon said, slowly fixing the sleeping girl's sleeves back into place.

"…Are you still a thing?" Brody asked.

"What do you mean?" Marlon looking to her.

"You think she's working with those people. Would you still consider you two a "thing"?" Brody asked.

"I… I don't know for sure if she is… I just want answers…" Marlon said. "I have no choice but to question her, I'm supposed to be keeping everyone here safe…"

"I guess you're right…" Brody said. "Well… She'll probably be out the rest of the night. And I don't Vi or Lou will leave her alone for too long."

Marlon narrowed his eyes at that. "Guess we'll just have to wait it out then…" Louis and Violet were the reason things hadn't worked out between him and Clementine. Even though they were his friends his mind was made up. If he couldn't have Clementine, nobody could…

* * *

When Clementine awoke and found herself in bed she was confused. She hadn't remembered falling asleep. When she tried to stand her body refused to cooperate. She had no idea what was wrong with her.

"You're awake! Feeling any better?"

The voice made Clementine jump. She quickly looked over to see Ruby. "W-What happened?"

"You passed out of the blue. Been out of it for two days." Ruby explained.

Clementine's eyes widened. "Two days? What the fuck..." Clementine shot up right, but felt her head throb a bit. She groaned. "Where are my kids?"

"With Louis in the music room. He had to keep the calm somehow. They were worried about you. Everyone was." Ruby said. "Vi hardly left your side. And Louis, he looked after your little ones like they were his own."

Clementine didn't know how to feel about that. "I got to check on-"

"Hold on, take it easy… We don't need you passing out again." Ruby said.

"I'm fine." Clementine stated.

"You're not fine. You just woke up after being barely conscious for two days. You need to take it easy. Pushing yourself is probably why you passed out in the first place." Ruby responded in a stern voice.

"Ruby, really. I'm okay. I need to-"

Ruby cut her off, "What you need to do is stay in bed. I don't want you pushing yourself today."

Clementine sighed but laid back down.

"Thata girl." Ruby said. "I'll let everyone know you're awake and get you something to eat."

"Okay… Thanks Ruby…"

* * *

AJ and the twins were ecstatic to hear Clementine was awake. The three children had rushed into their bedroom and refused to leave Clementine's side.

When night came Clementine was unable to sleep. The twins and AJ had all piled into the bed with her and were fast asleep.

Clementine sighed, she hated feeling restless. It always made her mind run wild.

The girl slowly sat up, squirming out of the twins' grip, while being careful not to wake them.

Having spent the day stuck on bed rest by nurse Ruby's orders, Clementine was unable to sleep that night.

She felt frustrated and tried to find something to do. The girl ended up drawing for a bit.

She was drawing for quite a while when she suddenly heard a knock at the door. The girl furrowed her brows as she looked to the door. She wondered if it was Violet or Louis checking in on her as they had a few times that day. But it was late, she had thought they would've gone to bed.

The girl stood and answered the door, a bit surprised to see Brody. "Brody?"

"Clem…"

"What's wrong?" Clementine asked her.

Brody bit her lip, looking anxious.

"Brody? What's wrong?" Clementine asked again, looking worried. "What happened?"

"I… I need help…" Brody mumbled.

"With what? Why aren't you in bed?" Clementine asked.

"I… please, just come with me." Brody took the girl's arm and started leading her out of the room.

Clementine allowed the girl to tug her along, but asked, "Where are we going?"

The older teen gave no response.

"Brody?"

Brody kept silent as she pulled the girl outside.

Feeling the cold air, Clementine halted her movement. "Where are we going? What's gotten into you, Brody."

"I… It's Marlon…" Brody said.

"Marlon what?" Clementine asked. She was getting more and more confused with each second.

"He says you're working with them." Brody said.

"With who-" Before the girl could get another word in, she felt a blow to the back of her head, sending her to the ground.

* * *

When the girl came to, she found herself strapped to some kind of chair. Panic hit her full force as she tried to figure out where she was.

"About time you woke up." Marlon said.

Clementine looked over to him, memories coming back. She wanted to speak but found herself unable to do so because of some kind of fabric in her mouth.

She looked around for a sign of Brody but didn't see the girl.

Marlon started walking towards her and Clementine began to struggle in her seat.

"Relax. I'm not gonna hurt you." Marlon said as he stopped in front of her. He reached out a hand and touched her cheek feeling the girl flinch. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Clementine moved her face from his hand.

Marlon sighed, "You know… I still care about you, Clem… I like you a lot. But I need you to tell me who you're working for."

Clementine furrowed her brows in confusion.

"All this can't be a coincidence. I just want you to be honest then I'll let you go." Marlon said.

Clementine's confused gaze turned into a glare.

"Come on, Clem… Make this easy for both of us." Marlon pulled the fabric from the girl's mouth.

"Screw you, Marlon. I don't know what the fuck you're talking about." Clementine hissed.

"Don't play dumb. That man you saw, you know him, don't you?" Marlon inquired.

"I don't know him! Just untie me!" Clementine ordered.

"Not until you tell the truth." Marlon said.

"I have told the truth!" Clementine snapped.

"Clementine-"

"My kids, where are they?! You didn't hurt them, did you?!"

"Your kids are fine. Now quiet down." Marlon said.

Clementine shot him a look before saying, "Marlon, just let me go... Please."

"Not until you talk." Marlon said.

Clementine felt anger building back up. "Talk about what?! Let me go, asshole!"

Marlon huffed. "I see you need some time to stop being stubborn."

Marlon shoved the fabric back into the girl's mouth retying it. "Maybe you'll do a better job in the morning."

Marlon tightened the ropes around her wrist before turning to walk away. A muffled whimper paused him in his tracks. He sighed, "Goodnight, Clementine…" With that he left the basement, leaving the girl in the dark.

* * *

 _Clementine tugged at the rope that bound her wrists, wincing as she felt it cut into her skin. The complicated knots were forcing her to remain still._

" _This is what happens when you struggle, honey."_

 _Clementine looked away from him._

" _I told you not to fight me…"_

 _Clementine could feel his hands moving against her skin. It made her stomach churn. "S-Stop it, please..." Clementine pleaded._

 _"No." Carver simply said, hands moving even more._

 _The young girl felt sick each time his cold fingers trailed over her little body. She whimpered a bit. "Please..._

 _"Please what, honey...?_

 _"D-Don't hurt me..."_

 _"I don't want to hurt you... But you were a bad girl. You give me not choice. I warned you about being naughty... I have to punish you, Clementine."_

 _Clementine fought back tears that threatened to spill._

" _I have to punish you…"_

 _That was all it took for tears to start to fall._


	8. Chapter 8

It was still late when little Aleena awoke. The child looked over to her mother's bunk but was unable to see much through the dark room. She sat up, swinging her feet to the edge of the bed, while doing her best not to wake AJ or Crystal. Aleena glanced down to the floor. To the small girl it seemed like a long drop below her and in her mind, she was nervous not knowing what creatures could be lurking in the room. She kept imagining a scary monster grabbing her from under the bed.

"M-Mama?" Aleena called nervously.

There was no response.

Aleena frowned and called again, "Mama?"

Still nothing. Not even a tired groan from her mother telling her to go back to sleep.

Gulping nervously, Aleena decided to face her fears and climb from the bed. After safely getting down she made a beeline for her mother's bunk and climbed into it, before any monsters could grab her. "Mama," She reached out a hand to shake her mother only to find she wasn't there. Aleena's eyes widened. And she began looking around frantically.

Before long hazel eyes filled with tears and she broke into sobs. A couple of minutes passed before AJ groaned.

"Aleena, stop crying," He said. Crying fits in the middle of the night were pretty frequent for Aleena.

Aleena's sniffles and whimpers continued.

"You woke me up. Why are you crying?" AJ asked, sitting up in his bed.

Crystal stirred a bit from the movement. Aleena's cries continued until Crystal finally spoke.

"L-Leena? Why are you crying?" Crystal asked.

"Ma-Mama's gone." Aleena said. "I waked up and she's not here…"

"She probably went to the bathroom." AJ said.

"Sh-She didn't." Aleena shook her head.

"How do you know?" Crystal asked.

"C-Cause she didn't tell me…" Aleena said.

"She doesn't have to tell you, Aleena." AJ sighed. "Plus, you were sleep."

"I miss her…" Aleena said.

"I'll go look for her." Crystal said, climbing from the bed.

"She'll just say go back to bed." AJ said with a sigh. "So, go back to bed."

"I want mama to go night-night too." Aleena whimpered.

"Come on, Leena. Let's go find her." Crystal said.

"Wait, you can't go by yourselves. I have to go too, to protect you both."

"F-From monsters?" Aleena asked.

AJ nodded. "And anyone who tries to hurt us."

The twins both gave a small nod.

AJ walked ahead of them and opened the door. The twins trailed behind him as he cautiously entered the dark hall.

The three looked around for Clementine but the girl was nowhere to be seen. After searching around and peering outside windows they were starting to feel worried.

Aleena began whimpering again.

"Leena, don't cry." Crystal said, taking her twin by the hand.

"I want mama!" Aleena whined. "I want mama! I want mama!"

Crystal tried to quiet her twin down, but Aleena wasn't having it.

The three children flinched as they heard footsteps approaching.

"Everything okay?" Louis asked. "I heard crying."

"We… We can't find mama…" Aleena sniffled.

"Aww… I'm sure she'll be back soon." Louis said, giving the tiny child a pat on the head.

"Where is she?" Crystal asked.

"I'm not sure, kiddo. But I'm sure she'll be right back. Come on, let's get you three in bed. You can wait for her in your room." Louis said.

"O-Okay." Aleena said, taking Louis by the hand.

"What if she's in trouble?" AJ asked.

The twins both exchanged looks. The both were even more worried upon hearing AJ's question.

"She's not in trouble, bud. I'm sure she'll be back soon. Don't worry." Louis said.

"…If you say so…" AJ said. "She better be okay…"

"I'm sure she is. Come on." Louis led the children back into their room, hoping Clementine would return soon.

As more time passed, the small children became more concerned. If she had gone to the bathroom she should've been back by now.

"I'll take watch until mom comes back. You two can sleep." AJ started to climb up the bunkbed.

"You have to go night-night too, AJ." Crystal said.

"I can stay awake for a long time, since I'm bigger than you two." AJ said.

"How about I keep watch while all three of you sleep." Louis suggested.

"I wanna lay with mama…" Aleena said.

"She'll be back soon. I promise, Aleena." Louis reassured the child.

"O-Okay… Can you hold me?" Aleena asked.

"Hold you?" Louis was surprised by the question.

The little girl nodded. "Please?" Aleena said.

"I… Don't know if I should." Louis said. He didn't know how Clementine would feel about him holding her daughter.

"Pl-Please?" Aleena asked again.

"Uh…" Louis paused. "How about I just tuck you in?"

"…Okay…" Aleena said.

Louis helped the twins into bed. AJ climbed in beside them. Louis pulled the blanket over the children once they laid down.

Louis sat on the bed across from the kids as they eventually fell asleep. He didn't know how long he had been sitting there but he found himself dosing off.

* * *

Louis didn't remember falling asleep. One minute he was up waiting for Clementine to walk through the door. The next he was drifting off.

He shot upright when he felt a small hand shaking him.

"Where's mama? Did she come back?"

Louis rubbed his tired eyes. "Huh?"

"Where's my mama?" Crystal asked.

"She's not here?" Louis looked around. "Maybe... Maybe she slept in another room."

"But why? She always sleeps with us..." Crystal said.

"I'm not sure, Crystal. But look... she'll probably meet us at breakfast. Plus, I'm sure you kids are hungry."

"A little..." Crystal said before noticing something. "Mama left Promise! She never sleeps without Promise."

"I'm sure she's fine. Don't worry. Let's go get some breakfast." Louis said.

"Okay..." Crystal agreed.

The young girl proceeded to wake AJ and Aleena.

Everyone was seated at the table for breakfast, everyone except Clementine.

Concern struck Louis as he wondered where the girl could have possibly gone.

"Where's mama?" Aleena asked.

"I don't know..." Louis said. "Hey, has anyone seen Clem?" He spoke to the group.

"Not since yesterday. She didn't sleep in?" Ruby asked.

"She's been gone all night." Louis said.

"How do you know?" Mitch rose a brow.

"I heard Aleena crying in the middle of the night... went to check on them. No sign of Clem yet." Louis said.

"Shit... You don't... You don't think she took off, do you?" Aasim asked.

"Why would she do that?" Violet questioned.

"She had been talking about it." Aasim pointed out.

Violet shook her head. "She wouldn't leave without her kids."

"We don't know for sure." Marlon said.

AJ and the twins looked devastated by the thought.

"She wouldn't just leave us!" AJ said, sending Marlon and Aasim a glare for even insinuating it. "I know she wouldn't!"

"Well, she's not here." Marlon coldly said.

Brody started biting her lip, feeling her heart ache as she watched the kids' reactions to not knowing where Clementine was. She desperately wanted to blurt out that Clementine was okay, but she forced herself to stay quiet.

"We gotta go looking for her." Crystal said.

"We can't. No one leaves the safe zone. We don't know who could be out there?" Marlon said.

"What makes you think she's outside of the safezone?" Violet asked him.

"She's not here, is she?" Marlon huffed. "She had to have taken off in the middle of the night or something."

"She wouldn't leave us! Mama wouldn't!" Aleena said.

"She'll come back. I know she will!" AJ said.

"You're right." Violet spoke up. "Your mom wouldn't just leave you like that." Something had to be up. She had a bad feeling…

* * *

It had been a whole day since and there was no sign of Clementine. Everyone was worried. Why would Clementine suddenly take off without a word and leave her kids behind. It made no sense.

Still no one was bold enough to tell Marlon that they were going to search for their missing friend. That they didn't care if it meant leaving the safe zone.

Everyone just hoped the girl would return. Except nighttime came and she didn't. Her children were so worried, the twins cried inconsolable for an hour. The older kids did their best to keep the little ones preoccupied and take their minds off the situation, but that was far from easy.

Despite it now being dark out AJ stubbornly insisted that he take watch or patrol the area in case Clementine came back. The twins offered to help, though Aleena admitted she was scared to be out in the dark.

Louis offered to sit outside with AJ and keep watch while Violet and Ruby took the twins inside for bed.

"When's mama coming back?" Crystal asked, for what seemed like the hundredth time that day.

"We're not sure, Crystal. Hopefully soon." Violet answered.

"I want mama now…" Aleena said.

"I know, sug. I know…" Ruby said.

"Why can't we keep watch with AJ?" Crystal said. "I'm a big kid too…"

"Sure, you are…" Violet rolled her eyes.

Ruby sent her a warning look. "I think AJ and Louis can handle it. Plus, you girls seemed a bit sleepy."

"I'm not sleepy!" Crystal said. "I'm staying wakey up till mama comes to sleep."

"We don't know when your mommy's coming back, sweetie…" Ruby said.

"Where did she go?" Crystal asked.

"We don't know that either, but we'll find her soon." Ruby promised.

"Okay…" Crystal said.

"Come on, how about you two lay down and try to rest." Violet suggested.

"Vi rest too!" Aleena clung to her.

"Leena…"

"I want you to stay…" Aleena said. "Lay down, please!"

"I should go to my room though." Violet said.

"This is!" Aleena exclaimed.

"Huh?" Violet furrowed her brows.

"This is your room!" Aleena said.

"I uh…"

"It won't hurt to stay with them, Violet. They're probably just not used to sleeping all alone." Ruby said.

Violet shot her a look.

"Mama always sleeps with us…" Crystal said. "I want you to sleep here till mama comes to sleep?"

"No… sleep here forever!" Aleena said.

"I'm sure Clementine would appreciate it." Ruby winked.

Violet sighed. "I don't know about forever, Leena... But I will stay until your mommy comes back, girls."

The twins beamed at that. Ruby gave a small smile.

* * *

"I see walkers out there… One…two… three…four…" AJ squinted. "There's five of them. But Clem's not there."

"Hey, I'm sure she's okay, buddy." Louis told him.

"She wouldn't just leave without telling us." AJ said. "She loves us too much and we love her too much."

"I know you do, buddy. Which is why she'll come back. For you and the twins." Louis said.

"If somebody hurt her… I'll hurt them really bad…" AJ said. "I wanted to hurt Marlon when he hit her. I wanted to hit him back for her."

"Marlon shouldn't have hit her. It was wrong, but I don't think he wanted to-"

"If he didn't want to why did he do it? No one made him!" AJ huffed.

"I don't know… He's just… overstressed." Louis said. "He shouldn't have done it little man. It was wrong."

"And if he ever hits her again… I'll punch him super hard. Harder than I ever punched before. I'll punch him in the… you know…" AJ said.

Louis quickly interrupted him. "Hold on, kid. You know you can't just go around punching people."

"I will if they hit mom… If he ever hits her again, I'll hit him back. I'll always protect Clem. From anything and everything." AJ said. "Clem said I can call her mom. I don't remember my real mom, so I don't know how a mom is supposed to be. But I think Clem is a good mom. I know she is."

"Yeah…I think she is too." Louis said.

* * *

"Vi… I can't turn sleepy…" Crystal spoke in a quiet voice after a while of tossing and turning.

"Me either. Even though the sun's gone night-night, I can't go night-night." Aleena said.

"Why not, girls?" Violet asked, fighting back a sigh. She already knew what their answer would be.

"I… I miss mama." Aleena said.

"I know you two do… Your mom will come back soon." Violet was starting to feel like a broken record. She didn't know how Clementine had the energy to look after three little tiny kids on a daily.

"When is soon?" Crystal asked.

"Very soon." Violet kept her responses short and vague.

"Tomorrow?" Aleena asked.

"I… I don't know about that, girls." Violet said.

"The day pass tomorrow?" Crystal asked.

"Girls…"

"The day passed, the passed tomorrow's day?" Aleena questioned.

"Girls, I don't know… All I know is she'll come back soon." Violet said.

"Okay. I wanna lay with mama. I like to cuddle with her to go night-night." Crystal said.

"Me too… I need mama to cuddle me…" Aleena pouted. "Vi can you give me cuddles?"

"Hold on, kid… I don't usually do cuddles." Violet said. It was one thing that they begged her to stay in the room and were bombarding her with questions, but now they wanted to invade her personal space as well.

"Please…" Aleena said. "Please, please, please."

Violet sighed as she looked away from the puppy dog eyes the small child was giving her. "Okay, fine. Just this once."

Aleena beamed at that. She carefully hopped from the bed and made her way over to Violet then proceeded to practically throw herself into Violet's arms. Violet was a bit surprised but allowed the child to stay.

Crystal glanced over to the two but kept quiet.

"Wanna come over here too, Crystal?" Violet asked.

Crystal gave a small, hesitant nod.

Violet motioned her to come over. "Come on, kid."

Crystal made her way over as well.

With the two small children snuggling against her, Violet could only hope Clementine would come back soon. The girl was going to owe her one, big time.

* * *

Louis sat silently on watch. He noticed little AJ was struggling to keep his head upright, the small boy was close to drifting off. "You okay, little man?"

"I… I'm fine…" AJ mumbled.

"You getting tired?" Louis asked, though it was quite obvious.

"N-No… I'm gonna stay up until mom comes back…" AJ said. He yawned and rubbed his tired eyes.

"That might be a while, little dude."

"I can stay awake for a while." AJ said.

"It could be a long time." Louis said.

"That's okay… I'll stay awake for the longest time ever." AJ said. "I need to make sure she's safe."

"I'm sure she is."

"Me too… But I want her to come back…" AJ said. "I'm sad if she's not around… And… And the twins cry when they miss her."

"I know, AJ… But I'm sure she'll be back really soon." Louis said.

"I hope she will. Tonight." AJ said.

"I hope so too…" Louis agreed.

The two continued sitting on watch until Mitch showed up to trade places with Louis. Louis noticed AJ had fallen fast asleep. He gently picked the young boy up and started to carefully climb down the ladder.

Once he safely reached the ground, he started carrying the young boy inside the school and to his room.

He reached the room and gave a knock at the door. Getting no response, he hesitantly opened the door up.

He was surprised to see Violet laying with the twins, all three were fast asleep.

Louis gently placed AJ on the opposite bunk bed and covered him with a blanket. "Sleep tight, little dude." He whispered as not to wake anyone.

With that Louis quietly left the room.

* * *

Hours had passed before Violet flinched awake as she heard whimpering. By her side Crystal still laid fast asleep, but she noticed little Aleena wasn't in bed.

"Leena?" Violet called, concern filling her voice as she scanned the dark room. "Aleena, where are you?"

There was no response, but she heard the whimper again; it came from the hallway.

Standing up, Violet went into the hall and looked around, nearly tripping over Aleena who was sitting crossed legged by the door. Clementine's teddy bear was clutched in the small child's free arm and her thumb is in her mouth.

"Leena? You should be in bed." Violet said.

"I want mama..." Aleena mumbled. "I need mama..."

"I know…" Violet frowned. "Come on, let's get you to bed."

"No!" Aleena violently jerked away as Violet reached a hand towards her. The small girl began shaking a bit, as tears threatened to spill from her eyes. "Where's mama?" Aleena's bottom lip trembled. "I want my mama..."

Violet frowned bending down and picked the child up, fortunately the girl didn't fight this time. "She'll be back, Leena..."

"P-Promise?" Aleena sniffled.

"I promise. She'll come back." Violet reassured the child.

"Mama always comes back." Crystal spoke from the bed.

"I want her to come back now. I want mama…" Aleena whined.

Violet rocked the young girl a bit. "Shh… She'll be back real soon. You just gotta be patient, Aleena."

"Is a minute soon?" Crystal asked.

"Not that soon…" Violet said.

"Then she'll come back tomorrow." Crystal said. Tomorrow was a concept the twins knew only as another time, later.

"I don't know, girls..." Violet said.

Aleena began whimpering. "I want mama now..."

"Don't cry, Leena. Please don't cry." Violet said as she placed the small girl on the bed beside Crystal.

"She always cries…" AJ spoke up.

"AJ, why don't you lay with your sisters? I think they'd feel better if you did." Violet said.

"Okay…" AJ sat up, rubbing sleep out of his eyes. "I can protect them better if I do…''

Crystal frowned as Aleena began crying and did her best to comfort her twin sister. AJ got in the bed to joined them and helped comfort the younger girl.

Violet couldn't help but feel a bit uncomfortable. She was never the best when it came to comforting people. Tenn being an exception.

Eventually Aleena cried herself to sleep. Crystal and AJ laid beside her and AJ pulled the blanket over the three of them.

Violet sighed. Laying on the opposite bed, she closed her eyes and tried to rest. A moment passed before she heard Crystal's little voice start counting. "One... Two... Three... Four..."

Violet opened her eyes and asked, "Crystal, what are you doing…?"

"Counting. Leena's breaths." Crystal said before continuing, "Five… Six…"

"Leena's… breaths?" Violet was puzzled by Crystal's response.

"Uh-huh… I'm counting Leena's breathing. Like mama does."

"Like your mom does?" Violet asked. "Why's your mom do that?"

"Umm… She counts at night-night time, when Leena's night-night. I heared her counting sometimes. Leena's breathing gets bad when it's cold…"

Violet frowned as she noticed that Aleena was taking quicker breaths than normal. "Has… Leena stopped breathing during bed before?"

Crystal nodded. "Mama got Leena a mask…To help her breathe…"

"Where is it?" Violet asked.

"In mama's bag." Crystal replied.

"Do you think she needs it now?" Violet asked.

"I think she's okay… Mom just counts her breaths to check on her… Crystal's copying mom…" AJ said.

"Okay…" Violet said. "You guys should try to rest."

"Okay, Vi." Crystal said, cuddling close to her twin sister.

"Goodnight." AJ said, yawning a bit.

"Night, guys."

* * *

When the door opens, Clementine thinks she is dreaming. She can barely open her eyes due to her exhaustion. Her body feels weak.

"Rise and shine."

Clementine winced from the sudden shine of light in her eyes.

"About time you woke up." Marlon said. "I guess I should say good evening. You've been out of it all day."

Marlon moved the flashlight, much to Clementine's relief.

He removed her gag and opened up a water bottle, showing to her. "Thirsty?"

Clementine hesitantly nodded.

Marlon brought the water bottle to her lips. "Drink…"

The girl obliged, before pulling back. Clementine gave a small groan in response, trying to speak. "Wh-Where… are my kids?" She whispered hoarsely. Her throat is parched. She swallowed a few times to try to return it to its ordinary state. She barely has the energy to deal with Marlon. She just wants to see her kids.

"They're safe. Relax." Marlon said. "I'm not gonna hurt you. I just wanna talk."

Clementine scoffed at that. "Y-You don't want to h-hurt me? Look… Look wh-where I am… Screw… you…"

"Don't be like that. I'm showing you mercy. You're completely vulnerable… If I wanted to, I could do anything to you." Marlon said.

Clementine felt her heart skip a beat. Marlon gently placed a hand on her cheek and Clementine flinched from his touch.

"But I'm not like the guys who raped you."

Clementine fought back a whimper as he continued to stroke her face.

"There, there. I promise I won't hurt you." Marlon said. "Just tell me who you're working for."

"N-No one…" Clementine said.

"I'm not an idiot, Clem. I know there's no way you and those little kids survived on your own." Marlon said. "Who are you with?"

"I said… No one." Clementine repeated in a firmer tone.

"Liar. Is that why you didn't want to get involved with me? You're scared your little group will find out?" Marlon asked, in a bitter voice.

"I'm not a liar…"

"Be honest. You're with those assholes, aren't you?" Marlon asked.

"I pushed him… I told you I pushed him. Why would I do that if I was working for them?"

"Maybe you're on the run." Marlon said.

"R-Running from what?" Clementine asked.

"You tell me." Marlon replied.

Clementine didn't respond.

"It can't just be a coincidence that that asshole showed up all of a sudden after you did." Marlon said. "Did you used to work with them?"

"I don't even know who he was." Clementine said. "But you clearly did."

"Wh-What?"

"You and Brody knew that asshole." Clementine said.

"…What the hell makes you think that?"

"Why else would you be so scared?" Clementine replied.

"…I'm never scared." Marlon claimed.

"You're scared right now. That's why you're doing this. It makes you feel strong." Clementine told him.

"Shut up!"

"You wanna feel in control…" Clementine said. "That's how I know you're scared."

"I'm not scared of anything! The only one who should be scared, is you." Marlon snapped.

"You won't hurt me… You said it yourself, you don't want to hurt me." Clementine said.

"I don't want to hurt you, but you're going to make me! Stop trying to be tough! You don't know a thing!" Marlon said.

"I know a lot more, than you think." Clementine said. "And I know how it feels to be afraid. But you… you don't scare me."

Marlon was surprised by her bold words.

"You don't scare me at all…" Clementine said.

Marlon glared at her. "I was going to let you eat tonight… You've made me change my mind."

Clementine didn't bother responding as the boy turned to storm away. She thought about screaming for help, but her throat was too sore for her to scream loud enough.

* * *

Marlon headed upstairs, making sure to lock the basement door behind him.

"Well?" Brody spoke up.

"She didn't say anything new…" Marlon huffed.

"…This is inhumane, Marlon. We can't just keep her trapped in the basement like some animal."

"I'm not treating her like an animal. I'm questioning her." Marlon argued.

"You've had her tied to a chair for two days. With no food, barely any water." Brody said.

"I was gonna feed her, but she started disrespecting me!" Marlon spat.

"So you're gonna starve her as punishment? This is wrong." Brody said.

"I'm not starving her." Marlon said.

"Then what do you call it?"

Marlon didn't respond.

"Marlon… Her kids are worried sick. This is… it's torture!" Brody exclaimed.

"Torture? I haven't even hurt her! This is nowhere near torture!" Marlon said. "I saved her life, remember. Took her and her kids in!"

"Which is why we should just let her go." Brody said. "We can't keep her locked up. And if she's working with them…They… They'll come looking for her and they won't be happy."

"She said he got bit, which means he ain't gonna bother us." Marlon said.

"Why do you keep brushing this off? You know he's not alone." Brody hissed. "Those bastards are back and it's only a matter of time before they find us. You know that-"

"I don't know shit, and neither do you. Goddamn it, Brody, keep it together!" Marlon snapped.

Brody took a step back. "There you go again, getting so mad!"

"What do you want me to do? You're making me mad!" Marlon took a deep breath. "We can't let her go. If we do that, she'll run and tell. You're the one who wanted me to handle this. So that's what I'm doing!"

"This isn't the way!" Brody said. "This doesn't handle anything! We… We don't even know for sure that she's working with them."

"Obviously she's not with them anymore- she said she pushed that asshole to the deadheads. But that doesn't mean she wasn't with them before. Think about it, Brody." Marlon said.

"I am thinking about it… But this isn't right…"

"We don't have a choice. Life isn't about right or wrong anymore. We have to protect our people." Marlon said.

"Then what did we save them for? We brought them here and promised them safety." Brody frowned.

"We can't just let her go. If it turns out she's really on the run from those people… then she can be useful." Marlon replied.

"How?"

"We give her up, her and the kids, and we save ourselves."

Brody's eyes widened at his suggestion. "What? We can't do that Marlon!"

"Why not? Better her than one of us." Marlon stated.

"It's not right…"

"We don't have a choice. We need to worry about protecting us! Protecting our own people…" Marlon said.

"Funny how you say that after what you did!" Brody snapped.

"You're just as guilty as I am!" Marlon said.

"I didn't make the choice…"

"But you didn't stop it either!" Marlon said. "If I go down, you go with me, think about that, Brody."

Brody nervously bit her lip as Marlon headed back inside the school.

* * *

Brody had waited a while before grabbing a bowl and filling it with some leftover soup. Heading to the basement, she quickly tiptoed down the stairs, feeling anxious.

Clementine's eyes were shut, however they fluttered open when she heard the gentle call of her name.

"Clem…"

Clementine was surprised to see Brody but didn't respond to her.

"I brought you some soup..." Brody said.

The younger girl was gripped with hunger, but she eyed the bowl suspiciously.

"It's not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking…" Brody said. To prove her point, she brought the spoon to her own mouth eating some. "See…"

Clementine seemed to calm a bit.

"Here, I'm sure you're hungry." Brody began to help the girl eat the soup. "…How are you feeling?"

"Do-Does it matter?" Clementine asked after a moment.

"I'm gonna talk to Marlon. He can't keep you down here..." Brody said.

"Y-You could let me go..." Clementine replied.

Brody quickly shook her head. "...I...I can't... I can't. Marlon would... He'd be pissed..."

"You don't have to...to do everything Marlon says." Clementine said.

Brody bristled, the back of her neck growing tense. "I don't do everything he says."

"…It seems that way."

"I came here to bring you food. He wasn't going to let you eat..." Brody said. "I don't do everything he says."

"…I appreciate it..." Clementine said. "But why…?"

"Why what?"

"Why'd you bring food?" Clementine asked.

"Because you have to eat. I wasn't gonna let you starve..." Brody said.

"…I'm not working for anybody, Brody..." Clementine suddenly said. "You have to believe me."

Brody was silent for a while. "I… I do…"

Clementine was surprised to hear that. "But-"

"Forget I said anything." Brody quickly said. "You should... try to get some rest..."

"Wait. My kids...? Are they okay?" Clementine asked.

"They're fine. I promise you no one would ever hurt them..." Brody said.

"Good... Thank you..."

"Get some rest, Clem…" Brody said, before hesitantly leaving the girl alone.

* * *

"I've not saw mama for a long time, Vi. When's mama coming back?" Crystal asked.

"Where's mama? When's mama coming?" Aleena asked.

"Soon, girls. Soon. I promise." Violet sighed.

"When's soon?" Crystal asked. "You always sayed soon…"

"Just… soon. I can't give you a time…" Violet said.

"It's been a long, long time for mama to go potty." Aleena said.

"She didn't go to the potty. No one can go to the potty that long." AJ said.

"How do you know, AJ?" Aleena asked innocently. "Did you try it?"

"No. That's a stupid question." AJ huffed.

"I'm not stupid! You're stupid!" Aleena whined.

"Hey, kids, no fighting." Ruby said.

"If someone went to the bathroom for as long as Clem's been gone, that would be weird…" Willy said.

"If they had to go that long, I'd assume they died while doing their business." Mitch said.

"Enough, both of you." Ruby scolded. "Girls, your mommy is just a little busy right now."

"If mama didn't go potty, where did mama go?" Aleena asked.

"I… I don't know." Ruby said.

"She probably went to find us food, or… or medicine for you or Crystal… or… or a new car." AJ said.

"Medicine?" Louis asked.

"For breathing! Like this." Aleena demonstrated some fast breaths. "Mama sayed sometimes I hold my breath when I go night-night."

"Yeah. I heard… but that's not a good thing, Leena…" Violet said, frowning a bit. She knew Clementine had mentioned Aleena having asthma. But she must have had something else as well. "Does that happen a lot?"

"Uh-huh. When I was a baby!" Aleena said.

"Mom likes to lay near Leena so she can hear her breathing." AJ said.

"Sounds like she has sleep apnea…" Ruby said.

"Sleep what?" AJ asked.

"It's a sleep disorder…" Ruby said. "It… can be pretty dangerous…"

AJ just looked more confused. "Oh…. Well, mom must've gone to find medicine for that."

"Your mom left! She's gone!" Marlon suddenly said, looking annoyed. "Now quit talking about it!"

"Marlon!" Ruby shot him a look. "Don't say that."

"Mama not leave us!" Aleena said.

"Oh yeah? Then where is she?" Marlon asked.

"She's coming back! Don't say she left! You're gonna make the twins sad!" AJ hissed. "She wouldn't leave us."

"You don't know that." Marlon said.

"Marlon, enough!" Brody cut in, ignoring the look Marlon shot her. "Eat your breakfast, kids. It's okay."

"I wanna eat with mama!" Aleena said.

"Your mommy's not here right now." Violet sighed.

"I want mama!" Aleena said.

"I want mama too! I wanna go find mama!" Crystal tried to climb from the table, but Violet stopped her.

"Crys, no." Violet said.

"Let's play a game. Do you girls like games?" Louis suddenly spoke.

The twins nodded.

"Mama plays games with us!" Aleena said.

"Well, how about we play a game together? After breakfast?" Louis said.

"What game?" Crystal asked.

"It's a secret ninja game." Louis replied.

"Ninja?" Crystal echoed.

"Yep." Louis nodded.

"I wanna play too!" AJ said.

"I'll play with you if you want." Tenn offered.

"I would like that." AJ said.

"Alright, you kids finish eating, then we'll play all you want." Louis said.

The three children began eating without protest.

"Lou-Lou to the rescue." Louis joked, causing the others to roll their eyes.

* * *

"She says she's not working for them… And I… I think I believe her… I… I don't think she knows anything, Marlon." Brody said.

"That could just be what she wants us to think." Marlon said. "And even if she's not, the plan doesn't change."

"This isn't right. We can't just keep her down there. Keep her locked away from her kids." Brody said. "We don't even know her whole story."

"Look, I know that. But-"

"But what?" Brody urged him to finished.

"We can't just let her go. You said it yourself, she could easily lure them to us." Marlon said.

"That was before…"

"Before what?"

"Marlon, just- just stop. Enough is enough. You have her trapped in a basement, like an animal. She hasn't eaten or drank much of anything. And everyone is worried sick." Brody said.

"You know what the plan is." Marlon argued.

"Your plan, not mine! Forget the plan! You said it yourself, she's just a scared little kid!" Brody said.

"We both know she's not innocent." Marlon said.

"Neither are you." Brody said. "You traded the twins away like it was nothing!"

"I didn't have a choice! I told you not to talk about that!" Marlon snapped.

"We can't just keep sweeping it under the rug!" Brody argued.

"We don't need to talk about that!" Marlon growled at her. "You wanna take care of Clem so bad, go spend the night with her."

"Maybe I will!" Brody snapped back.

Marlon ignored the girl. He knew Brody was all talk and no bite. No way she would go against his plans.

* * *

"Clem... Clementine, wake up."

The younger girl wasn't moving. She was unconscious but didn't stir. Brody almost worried that she was dead.

Brody gently touched the other girl's hand and frowned. "Fuck... You're freezing." But Clementine wasn't shivering. That was a bad sign...

"Clem, Clem... Wake up." Brody worked on undoing the tape that held the younger girl to the chair. "Clementine, wake up, please. Your babies need you."

Brody quickly grabbed a nearby water bottle and brought it to the younger teen's lips.

"Clementine, Clem... Come on, you can't die. Your babies need you..." Brody felt tears prick her eyes. This was her fault.

To her relief the girl coughed a bit. Clementine took a shaky breath, eyes slowly fluttering. Clementine felt like she was going down a never-ending tunnel, struggling to wake up. Then finally her eyes open, and for a moment everything is a blur.

Brody choked on a sob. "Thank God…I'm so sorry..." Brody said, fighting tears. "Y-You're safe now... You're safe... It's me, Brody..." Brody tapped at the girl's cheek until her eyes slowly fluttered open.

The younger girl jerked away, fear in her hazel eyes.

"It's okay. It's me, Brody… I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Brody?" Clementine muttered.

Everything is distorted to Clementine. She can't tell if this is real or a dream.

"Yes, Clem. It's me."

Clementine sat barely conscious. She looked around a bit confused. "W-Where's Marlon...?"

"Don't worry about him... Has... he hurt you...?" Brody asked.

"N-Not really..." Clementine said honestly. "W-What's going on?

"I'm taking you to see your babies." Brody said.

Clementine lit up at the thought. "My kids… Where are they?"

"They're fine. I promise." Brody said.

"I want to see them." Clementine said.

"I know… I'm gonna take you to them. I swear." Brody reassured her.

"When?" Clementine asked in a small voice.

"Soon. They're safe… But…" Brody trailed off.

"But what?"

"…We gotta go now. Come on…" Brody took her hand. "Can you stand?"

Clementine gave a small nod, which made her a tad bit dizzy. "I think so…"

It took a moment, but the girl managed to get to her feet with Brody's help. Her body felt like dead weight, she struggled to hold herself up.

"Good. Good." Brody helped support the younger girl's weight. "We're gonna get some food in you. And I'm gonna take you to see your little ones. They're worried sick."

"I miss them…" Clementine said. "I miss them so much."

"I know you do. They miss you too. But-"

The two immediately fell silent as they heard the basement door creak open. A light shone down the basement stairs and a voice spoke. "Brody?"

The two girls immediately flinched from the voice. Brody held her breath hoping he would go away if she didn't respond.

"I know you're down here… I heard your voice." Marlon spoke once more.

Much to Brody's dismay he began walking down the steps.

Marlon continued down the stairs and approached with a look of anger in his eyes. "Brody, what are you doing?" Marlon questioned.

"The right thing. We can't just hold her captive." Brody said.

"Brody, stop with the crazy talk!" Marlon said.

Brody shook her head, keeping a protective grip on Clementine. "I'm not letting you trade her and those babies away! It's wrong."

"Trade?" Clementine took a second to process that. "W-What? Brody, wh-what are you talking about?"

"You're in no position to ask questions." Marlon said to Clementine, grabbing harshly at her arm and yanking her away from Brody.

Clementine stumbled, then shot him a glare. Despite feeling exhausted, she gritted out, "Let me go."

"Or what?" Marlon returned her glare, with a testy one of his own.

"Marlon, stop it! You have to let her go… And… And we have to tell the others what happened…" Brody said.

Instantly becoming alarmed, Marlon paled and stammered, "W-What?"

"We have to tell the others. We have to tell the others about what you did." Brody repeated.

Clementine furrowed her brows in confusion, taking advantage of Marlon's distraction and pulling her arm from Marlon's grip. "T-Tell the others what?"

"Nothing! It's really none of your business." Marlon said. "This is a private conversation. It doesn't concern you."

"Of course it does! You had her locked in a basement for three days!" Brody said.

"For good reason."

Brody shook her head in disagreement. "Clem…The man you met at the station, we got history with him." Brody's words are rushed.

"Brody..." Marlon growled.

Brody hesitated to speak again.

Clementine looked between the two. She had already assumed that was the case. "D-Don't be afraid, Brody…"

"Clementine, stay out of this!" Marlon snapped, grabbing roughly at her arm once again.

Clementine attempted to shake his grip off, but he refused to let go. Clementine met his eyes with a cold look and then spoke to Brody, "…Say what you have to say, Brody. What "history"?"

Brody swallowed nervously before speaking again, "Marlon let him take the twins! Him and his people!"

"Damn it, Brody!" Marlon snapped, he released Clementine's arm, shoving her again, this time causing her to fall.

Clementine gasped, slowly forcing herself upright as she recovered from the shove. Her eyes widened as she processed Brody's words. "Wait… Tenn's sisters? I…I thought… they were killed by walkers."

"That's the story we told everyone." Brody admitted.

"Shut up." Marlon ordered.

Brody didn't listen. "Cause Marlon was so ashamed of-"

"I said SHUT UP!" Marlon yelled, hitting the girl hard with the flashlight he held in his hand.

Brody brought a hand to her head and stumbled back.

Clementine's eyes widened as she noticed the older girl was bleeding.

"Uh... What'd you say?" Brody slurred out before slumping to the floor.

Both Marlon and Clementine were beyond stunned.

"W-What did you do?" Clementine asked. "Marlon, Wh-What DID YOU DO?!"


End file.
